Distorted Mayhem
by hitachiintwinsfan989
Summary: A month after Operation Brighton passed, no one expected what was coming next. Far off in a different Region an old evil has returned to plunge the world into darkness. Can our heroes stop it like they did with Max and the others? Or will they all into the darkness for good this time? Better yet, what's with all the Unown showing up? Co-authed with Sky. Sequel to my SOA! ENJOY!
1. Prologue

**Hey, hey, hey people, I am back with the sequel. And I am here with the one and only…Where's my co-writer gone? *Searches for co-writer***

**Kate: When did we have a huge stage put in?**

**Seren: Uh, we didn't?**

**Oh, I know what's going on. *Walks over to mic* HELLO CAST OF ALMIA! We have kept most of you, some of you we have had to let go and we miss you, please say goodbye to the co-workers who are leaving. **

**Cast: *Goes and says goodbye to most background people***

**But now, we have the biggest surprise for you. INTRODUCING! THE ONE, THE ONLY, MY CO-WRITER RILEY SKY!**

***Stage turns around and a girl with red hair in a Ranger cosplay uniform's left on a platform***

**Sky: HELLO PEOPLE! HOW ARE YOU ALL?!**

**Keith: This, is how our slow deaths begin.**

**Kate: Suck it up.**

**Seren: HI SKY! You need to sign this.**

**Sky: *Looks at HTF***

**Me: *Nods head***

**Sky: *Quickly reads over it before getting a devious smirk and signing it***

**Seren: *Quickly looks over contract* NO WAY! YOU GAVE HER RIGHTS TO PUT IN ROMANCE BETWEEN COUPLES?!**

**Keith: Which couples?**

**Kate: The following couples;**

**Vatonage shipping**

**Measure shipping**

**Who's On Top Tonight shipping**

**Sven: Can't we change the name of that?**

**Wendy: Yeah, it sounds weird.**

**Kate: Where was I? Oh yeah.**

**Camera Face Shipping (Seren and Kellyn for those who don't know it)**

**And possibly Oblivia Shipping (Ben and Summer)**

**Sky: Plus maybe a little of what I call VienShipping (looking at you, Crawford and Luana!) Can't wait to get started writing! I can make Seren say mushy things.**

**Seren: I thought we were friends?**

**Sky: From now on, I'm the writer and you're a worker, but outside this we can all be friends.**

**Me: We're one big happy family, aren't we?**

**Cast: *Nods sacredly***

**Me: Cool, so erm, what's the summary for this thing anyway?**

**Sky: Hell if I know.**

**Keith: Shall I just read this? *Holds up piece of paper***

**Me: Yeah why not.**

**Keith: Alright, chain, whips, gags, candles, lighters-**

**Kate: This sounds like a shopping list.**

**Seren: A kinky shopping list.**

***Ben appears***

**Ben: GIVE ME THAT! *Disappears***

**Kate: I'm not even gonna ask.**

**Kellyn: Here, this is a summary; **

**Weeks after operation Brighton, Kate, Seren, Rythmi, Isaac Keith and Kellyn thought they'd have time to relax, right? WRONG! In a different Region a new evil awakened. And now, our dear Rangers not only have to put up with rampaging pokemon, but illusions and, and, well if i told you what else it'd ruin the surprise. But the biggest question is; what's with all the Unown showing up all over the place? Well, things can't be worse than Operation Brighton, right?**

**Seren: That's long.**

**Sky: Just do a disclaimer already.**

**Cast: HTF and Riley Sky do not own pokemon; they own the idea and nothing else.**

**Seren: Except HTF, she owns me and Camera Face Shipping, ENJOY!**

**Me: Why do I feel like we should say something else?**

**Sky: Shh, the story's starting.**

* * *

Katherine Atreya Jones; Almia's finest. Saving the world from evil with the help of her friends;

Rythmi Laya Song, a perky blonde operator who got along with everyone she saw.

Isaac Tobias Coleman, a smart blonde who loved to tinker with machines and create things that, some would say, could defy the laws of physics.

Kellyn Joe Brown, a perky brunette, who had an obsession with his face, just a slight smidge on it could drive him crazy. Despite his obsession, he was a very well trained Ranger.

Seren Alaura Redfern, a lovely girl with black hair, she loved to take pictures at the most inappropriate times. Some would deem this as a weakness, but it was just something she did. Despite this fault, she always came through for her friends.

Lastly, there is Keith Atreyu Dazzle, son of a mob boss who tried to take over Almia (and the world). Keith was a lot happier since his father had been defeated in Operation Brighton. He spoke a lot more, but he always seemed to get nervous around a certain brunette girl.

The six teens stood in the grand hall of the Ranger Union, laughing with three other friends of theirs, Raisha, Sven and Wendy. Each had helped out in Operation Brighton in their own way.

Operation Brighton, a large operation that took place around a month ago. Almia and the world would have been in terrible danger if not for this one operation to save it. Darkness would've filled the earth, lives lost; fear struck in the hearts of all; but thanks to the rangers, peace reigned once more.

"Operation Brighton was a month ago and we're still celebrating," Wendy sighed as she looked out the window to the night sky.

"Not necessarily a bad thing." Kellyn shrugged. "I'm loving the newspaper shots they took of us."

"Did you really have to take your shirt off last time?" Seren sweat dropped.

"Ah but they got more readers after that, didn't they?" Kellyn winked.

The group sighed, shaking their heads. Keith chuckled before following Wendy's gaze out the window. Don't get him wrong, he was glad everything was over, but he couldn't help feel something, somewhere, was terribly wrong.

And he was right.

Far off, in another region, trouble was stirring. Sinnoh's mountains were being struck by harsh blizzards. Hail pelted from the dark clouds as wind fiercely blew across the deep snow. No sunlight peaked through; it was as dark as midnight up there.

Something seemed very off. Even the pokemon living up there could sense there was a problem. Mt. Cornet was never like this. Pressure clung to the air, making it heavy. It grew more dense higher up. The worst of it was above the swirling storm clouds; Spear Pillar.

For hours, black and purple electric shocks were dancing in mid-air. They seemed to revolve around a particular spot in the very center of the ancient ruins. And once the build up of energy was at its highest peak...it began.

Pillar Spear began to shake viciously. Thunder boomed. Bolts of lightning hit the mountainside in a fury. Some of the pillars crumbled to little pebbles from the intense power. It was then a tiny little dot formed on the ground. At first, nothing more than a tiny little dot.

But it grew bigger. Clouds swirled around the mountaintop faster. The black dot expanded, forming into a pool of darkness. A thick bog poured from it and flooded the area. Pokemon nearby shivered in fright, hiding. Even the braver ones growled but knew to keep their distance.

The electricity cackled more as something started to emerge from the black. A shadow slowly rose. It started to climb from the darkness and back onto the surface. The black dripped off the body that started to form.

"It's been too long." The figure muttered. "I'd almost forgotten what the wretched place was like. Or...what light is..."

Pokemon stared in horror at this strange being. Terror paralyzed their hearts.

"No matter. Soon enough, my dreams will be reality again. Victory shall be mine. THE DARKNESS WILL SEIZE THIS WORLD YET AGAIN!"

The silhouette laughed as lightning struck behind him, at the darkness from which it ascended. Pokemon fled the scene with horrified expressions. But while they knew what happened, the world had no idea the horrors that were unleashed.

* * *

**Sky: There we go! First chapter written by the two most epic writers in history!**

**Seren: *starry eyed* It's like a scene from a movie!**

**Sky: *puts on director shades* What I was going for. **

**Rhythmi: Where'd HTF go?**

**...**

**Rhythmi: *Face palm* Don't tell me Keith pushed her in that black pool.**

**Keith: WHAT? It's called self defence!**

**Crew: *face palms***

**Sky: Alrighty then, I'll go rescue her. But we'll be back with the next chapter real soon! Full of more epic stuff and action! With your favourite comedy characters too! **

**Cast: Please review and we'll see you soon. REVIEW!**


	2. Thunder Storms?

**Sky: Hey guys we are back!**

**HTF: Though we may need to replace a certain someone. *Glares at Keith***

**Seren: Hey cool, you're back HTF, welcome home! *High fives***

**Ben: She went? When? **

**Summer: Why are we here?**

**HTF: You're in this story, you'll be going to a different Region.**

**Ben: Epic. I want chocolate. *Drags Summer away***

**Sky: Is that code for sex or something?**

**HTF: If I knew I'd tell you. Anyway, second chapter here it is, make sure you review.**

**Seren: They don't own anything expect Camera Face Shipping and me, this disclaimer will only be here until the third chapter. If you have a problem with me, Camera Face Shipping or the plot, confront HTF ASAP! **

**Kate: Other than that, ENJOY!**

* * *

Thunder roared in the sky as black clouds gathered over Almia. Lightning struck the ground every now and then, moving the grass slightly.

Something wasn't right. The pokemon couldn't sleep because of everything going on in the air. They watched as lightning struck the ground. An eerie aurora filled the air, causing them to go into hiding.

In the Union, the Rangers slept peacefully. Some moving around slightly in their bed, their faces full of bliss.

Thunder roared in the air again. Kellyn jolted up right in his bed, sweat clinging to his body as he did so. He rubbed his face before walking into the bathroom.

Kellyn ran the water in the sink. He had been having a nightmare of sorts. He had dreamt that, during the fight with Darkrai, he had gotten an ugly scar along his face. That the scar faded after a little bit of time. Kellyn splashed his face with water, cooling off. His face was wiped with a towel before looking into the mirror.

The lights were already on, due to being automatic. Once Kellyn saw his reflection, he jumped back, screaming as he did so.

Seren shot up in her bed as she grabbed her styler before rushing into the bathroom. She saw Kellyn looking at his face in the mirror. She sighed.

"Kellyn, what are you doing?" she asked.

Kellyn, shivering, kept staring at his reflection. His fingers brushed over the scar on his cheek.

"It...It was real..." Kellyn whispered. "M-my face...it's scarred..."

"Yes, Kellyn. It was real." Seren said, rubbing her eyes from sleep.

"LOOK AT ME!" Kellyn yelled, panicking. "I-I'm hideous! My handsome face is permanently ruined!"

Seren sighed again. She grabbed Kellyn's shoulders and forced him to make eye contact.

"Listen to me. It doesn't matter what you look like. Heck, you could have half your face scarred for all I care. All that matters is what's beneath the skin; what's in your heart." Seren told him in a serious tone. "You are a strong, caring ranger who wants to see a world in peace and is a great friend. That scar only proves what you're willing to go through."

"B-...but I..." Kellyn stammered.

"That scar is barely noticeable, Kellyn. No one else pays any mind to it but you." Seren went on.

Kellyn looked back at the mirror with a trace of doubt in his face. Sere was starting to feel uneasy herself. Her expression darkened as her hold on Kellyn released.

"Do you honestly feel that scars make your face ugly?" Seren questioned.

The brown haired boy nodded.

"Then you must think I'm ugly."

Kellyn's eyes were wide as he stared at Seren. "S-Seren? You have a scar?"

Seren pointed to the one going from her nose, crossing her lip and down to the chin. The injury had gone deeper than Kellyn's thus, as a result, ended up a little darker and jagged. While Seren wasn't one for looks, she started feeling conscious now. If Kellyn really thought that scars made you ugly, then what would he think of his partner?

Kellyn blinked once. Twice. His eyes watched the scar. He reached his hand out to feel the scar that was on his friend's face. For the longest of times, there was nothing but silence.

"...well?" Seren waited for an answer.

Kellyn made eye contact again. "I had no idea you had a scar."

"What? But it was so obvious." Seren frowned. "How could you not see it?"

"Cause I was looking at your eyes."

Seren was breathless. She had no idea how to respond. All she could do was gaze into Kellyn's eyes, which were gazing back at her.

Kellyn rested his hand on the side of Seren's cheek as he moved closer to her. Seren, being shorter than him, moved her head to look up at him.

Thunder crashed in the sky once more, causing the two teens to jump apart. They ran to their window, seeing the Staraptor and other bird pokemon flying away.

Seren's eyes narrowed as she watched the lightning hit the ground just besides the Union.

"That was close," Kellyn whispered.

"Something isn't right," Seren breathed as she removed her hands from the windowsill. Kellyn looked at her before returning his gaze to the window. No, something wasn't right.

* * *

Across the hall, Wendy gripped the blankets and woke up with a start, gasping for air. She and Sven, two of the most experienced Top Rangers, were some of the only people to make it out of Operation Brighton without a scratch on them. Though the images of that day would haunt their dreams for years to come, if not the rest of their life.

Sven moved around in his bed before sitting up. His eyes landed on Wendy as she walked into the bathroom to wash her face.

"Wen? You ok?" Sven asked as he followed her. Wendy shook her head as she got rid of the water dripping from her face.

"No, Sven, I don't think something's right," she answered, eyes frightened. Lightning lit their room up, for a moment, Wendy thought she saw something in a calm cowboy Ranger's eyes. What was it? Fear? Panic? Worry? Whatever it was, it was gone now.

"Wendy," Sven whispered walking closer to her.

He hated seeing his fellow Ranger in such a panicked state. Sven had known Wendy for several years. She wasn't someone you could knock down easily. Never depressed, never worried, never...this. If she was upset about something, then he had to be serious. Sven didn't want to see his partner this way. He wanted to see Wendy as she always was; confident and spirited.

The cowboy pulled Wendy in close, wrapping arms around her softly. With his muscles, it almost felt like he could crush her fragile, shivering body. Felt like he had to be extra careful. Sven's hand found Wendy's lime green hair, stroking it delicately. Wendy leaned her head against Sven's chest, relaxing slightly. Her arms clung to him.

"Whatever happens, I'll be there. We'll get through this together." Sven murmured. "We're a team. Always have been, always will be."

"S-Sven..." Wendy's voice was small. "Thank you," she whispered. She loved the cowboy being there for her, having known him since she started her job as a Top Ranger.

At first, the two weren't close, but now? Now they were the closest of friends, like Kate and Keith were. Though Wendy, unlike Kate, was still unsure of her feelings for her partner. She didn't know whether she thought of him as just a partner and best friend, or something more.

Sven pulled his head away from Wendy, smiling as he did so. The smile was contagious, as it caused Wendy to smile too.

"Whatever's coming next, we'll all pull through this, together, as one," Sven smiled as he kissed Wendy's forehead. He had always had a habit to do that. Ever since he first saw her, he had always gave her a small peck on the forehead.

Sven would feel her relax as he did so, before she calmed down completely, enough to do what she needed to do. Though he knew Wendy wouldn't sleep again now, and neither would he.

* * *

Up on the Operator's floor, Rythmi had woken up early, like she normally did to get an early start. So far, there had been one phone call from a woman who said a pokemon came bursting through her house agitated and angry.

The woman had to call Officer Jenny for help, who was now in the hospital in Jubilife City. The call itself was from Sinnoh, which was something Rythmi couldn't understand.

'_We patrol around Sinnoh during the winter, in the summer everything's fine. So…..what's going on exactly?' _Rythmi asked herself as she pulled up the news on the TV.

"Reports have been sighted by young trainers of lightning hitting the ground. Once this lightning connected with the ground, the trainers had said the ground moved and something rose from beneath it before quickly disappearing."

Rythmi paused the video as a figure stood just above the ground.

"Too small to be Darkrai," Rythmi jumped a mile in her seat as Isaac walked up behind her.

"Arceus...Isaac, don't do that during a thunderstorm," she sighed as she rested a hand over her heart.

"At least I didn't try busting your door down with an axe and yelling 'Here's Keithy'," both Rythmi and Isaac sweat dropped at that. Keith had done something like that one day in Ranger School when they were in the girl's room. His excuse? He was bored.

"True," Rythmi replied as she zoomed in on the image on the larger screen. She used the computer to bring it out of its darkness and into slight light, though it didn't turn that bright.

"It almost looks like a pokemon," Isaac muttered as he and Rythmi both moved closer to the screen. The two accidentally bumped their heads together as they did so.

They drew away, laughing as they looked at each other with slight blushes on their faces. Rhythmi expected Issac's head to draw away but it didn't. Instead, Issac was still very close to Rhythmi. A hand brushed a strand of hair from her face, then smoothed the cheek.

"Rhythmi..." Issac whispered. "I...I um...y-you look very pretty."

"Issac..."

The two blondes stared at each other's eyes. Eyes that slowly closed as they bent forward. Lips stretched out and were centimetres from contact...

KERPOW!

"EEP!"

Rhythmi jumped and clung to Issac, terrified of how the thunder clashed across the sky. Isaac's face was cherri berry red at the close contact. But he awkwardly put his arms around his friend and murmured comforting words. Rhythmi was still spooked by what happened though she slowly calmed down. In Issac's arms, the world was less of a scary place. Things were never so confusing.

"Thanks." Rhythmi said as she looked back up at the genius.

"Of course." Issac smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile, miles away in the normally quiet Vientown, another girl was up. She sat in the main room of the ranger base, watching the rain from her spot on the windows. Luana was tired but she couldn't go back to sleep. Heck, couldn't close her eyes without seeing images flashing inside her head. Her body shivered from the cool air of the ba-...

Huh? Out of nowhere, a blanket was thrown on top of her head.

"Insomnia? You know the best cure for that is to get a lot of sleep."

Sitting down next to Luana was Crawford, grinning a little from his joke. Luana flashed a quick smile before looking back out at the rain.

"You haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately." Crawford noticed.

"I can't..." Luana sighed.

"Nightmares?" Crawford guessed (Luana nodded). "What about?"

Luana shrugged. "Lots of things. I usually dream that I'm falling. T-that I'm falling through cold darkness. And no one's there to save me. Tonight I...I dreamt that these shadows slowly encased the world..."

Her head was buried in her hands. The dark haired girl curled up into a ball.

"I don't know what to do." Luana's muffled voice spoke. "I can't sleep without waking up to a panic attack. It's like those dreams...t-they're real..."

Ever since Brighton, these nightmares happened to Luana. Crawford knew she was still dreaming about when she fell off Altru tower. He was glad that Luana wasn't awake during their time in the dark void. More scary stuff to harm that once innocent mind.

Crawford slipped an arm around Luana's shoulder and pulled her close. He rested her head on his chest. The blanket was wrapped around her more; to keep her warm. Luana sniffled, looking a bit surprised by the action.

"Luana, I don't just share the good times with you. I'm there during the bad times too. I'll make you laugh but I'll also be your shoulder to cry on." Crawford quietly told her. "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you. I promise."

Luana smiled, listening to what she needed to hear. She snuggled into Crawford's chest as tears silently slipped down her cheeks. The pair watched the rain together. Crawford sighed. He and Luana were the perfect pair. Not just for ranger partners. Crawford would crack some jokes or pull pranks, Luana would laugh. They brightened each other's day. Even when there was a particularly rough day, Crawford always found the will to smile because of Luana. Her cheerfulness was contagious. Sort of like a seed; getting under the skin and taking root. And like a seed, the feeling started to grow and blossom into something...more. Whether that flowering emotion would be shared with Luana or not was yet to be seen.

There was a soft snore. Crawford looked down to see Luana peacefully drifted back to sleep. He chuckled. So cute. The afro ranger picked up Luana in his arms and carried her back to bed.

"_Heh. You still believe in shooting stars, Luana?"_

"_Why not? Cute idea! Oooh! There's one now!"_

Crawford smiled at the memory. That one happened not long before Operation Brighton; one of the rare calm moments they had together. Looking out the window, up at the stormy sky, Crawford wished he could see if there was a shooting star passing by that second. If there was, he wished for his partner to have nothing but sweet dreams.

* * *

**Seren: …..I'm dying…..**

**Kellyn: At least I said the mushy stuff.**

**HTF: You're enjoying this part of the contract aren't you?**

**Sky: *Looks up from ideas* Yes, very much so.**

**Kate: Go figure.**

**Keith: Why wasn't I in this?**

**HTF: We had enough Kate and Keith mush in the last story. We're introducing some other mush, then we'll bring your mush back into it.**

**Kate: Damn, I thought I was home free.**

**Keith: You know you love me.**

**Rythmi: Can we just say review and….KEITH PUT THE VASE DOWN!**

**Keith: NO WAY! GO LONG CRAWFORD!**

**Crawford: WAAHOO!**

**Isaac: We're surrounded by idiots.**

**HTF: Pretty much. **

**Sky: HEY! GET YA ASSES OVER HERE AND SAY THE END PART!**

**Cast: *Goes into big huddle* we hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review and we'll see you again soon. REVIEW!**


	3. Scars!

**Sky: Yo! We are back.**

**Ben: HEY! That's what I say.**

**Summer: Yeah, in the bloopers.**

**HTF: Thank you everyone for your reviews next chapter. We know the mush was a little, well a little…..**

**Seren: *Pukes***

**HTF: Yeah, a little that *motions to Seren***

**Sky: Anyway, we have the return of two brilliant Rangers in this story. So, read, enjoy and review!**

**Rythmi: Can we get another bucket for Seren.**

**Kellyn: Am I really that bad?**

**Sky: Shush, story's starting!**

* * *

High above the skies, flying towards the Almia Region were two Rangers coming back from one of their largest missions yet.

"WAHOO!" A boy in blue with a red Ranger jacket, yellow scarf and red goggles called as he flew through the air on the back of a Latios.

"Oi! Little Boy Blue, keep it down," a light brown haired girl, wearing the exact same as the boy, ordered as she flew next to him.

"Come on Summer, we just finished off an awesome mission, be happy," the boy smiled as he grinned at his partner.

"Ben, in case you haven't noticed things have gone pretty much downhill with the weather. We were called back to the Union on an emergency," Summer growled as she glared at the older boy.

"Emergency smergency. Lighten up, have a bit of fun while you can. We both know Hastings is gonna be on our cases the moment we get back," Ben replied as he shrugged. Summer shook her head as they flew over the Sinnoh Region.

You see, the Oblivia Region was quite far from the Almia Region, where the two were originally stationed. So, to get there and back, they needed to fly. It was the quickest way and it was much less hassle.

Summer looked down as they flew over Mount Cornet, something caught her eye. A figure dressed in all black with dark hair. The figure seemed to just be sitting there, doing nothing. In its hands, Summer could make out a dark, was that paper, or a gem? She couldn't tell.

Dismissing it as someone either praying to the legendry pokemon, Dialga and Palkia, Summer carried on her way with Ben and the neon pokemon they were riding on.

Soon they had passed the Sinnoh Region and were above the seas once more. Summer shuddered, remembering the time she was blasted from the sky by that awful Plasma Cannon.

Ben smiled widely as he continued cheering and laughing, though Latios wasn't very happy about him moving around on his back.

"_Hey Summer?" _Summer looked down at Latias, her neon pokemon and friend.

"What's up?" she asked.

"_How long until we reach the Almia Region? I don't think Latios can put up with Ben much longer," _Latias asked as the two looked over at Ben and the irritated Latios. Summer sighed.

"With the speed we're going, around half an hour. I just hope Latios can last," she answered as they carried on towards Almia.

Five minutes passed. Summer looked over to Ben once she heard him yell. Latios had flipped over, causing Ben to grip his neck tightly. Summer face palmed while Latias sweat dropped at the two of them.

"_Keep moving around and you'll be swimming the rest of the way," _Latios threatened as he turned back over. Ben shut up as he remained silent the rest of the way. Silent and unmoving. Summer almost mistook him as a statue.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Ranger Union things were normal.

"WHERE IS THAT IDIOT?!"

...as normal as things could be, anyways.

Kate burst into the break room where the gang gathered together; Rythmi, Isaac, Sven, Wendy, Kellyn and the idiot, aka Keith.

"Wow you look ticked." Wendy noticed.

"Oh am I ticked." Kate fumed, glaring at Keith. "YOU."

"Me?" Keith innocently smiled at her.

"I THOUGHT YOUR PERVING DAYS WERE OVER!" Kate yelled.

Keith smirked as he held up a pair of blue panties. "You really think I'd quit? Just like that?"

"You haven't done anything this bad in weeks!" Kate said, angry.

"In between Operation Brighton and taking some time to heal, no. But now that things are back to normal, so am I." Keith dangled the underwear. "You want 'em back?"

"Yes." Kate gritted her teeth. "Give them back. NOW."

"Say please?" Keith sang.

"Please give me my underwear back OR I WILL RIP YOUR STUPID FACE OFF!" Kate yelled the last part.

Keith knew better than to tick her off further. He tossed her the underwear which Kate stuck in her pocket. The pigtailed girl wearily sat down on the couch next to Kellyn. Though Kellyn seemed distracted; sort of down.

"Hey Kell'? What's wrong?" Kate asked.

"You've been depressed all day." Isaac noticed.

Kellyn sighed. "It's just...it's this stupid scar."

"Not this again." Rythmi muttered as a few others rolled their eyes.

"I'm serious!" Kellyn said. "Look at me! Look at how ugly I've become!"

"You look the same as you always have. With or without the scar." Wendy told him.

"Yeah. No one really notices it." Sven added.

"Maybe you don't cause you're my friends. But other people do! People see this scar and they immediately think I'm ugly," Kellyn replied as he avoided eye contact with Sven.

"What about Seren then?" Keith asked, everyone turned to him. Kellyn's eyes flashed with anger as he glared at Keith.

"What about her?" he asked, Keith shrugged.

"You, you're fussing over something that's hardly there when Seren has a larger scar going from her nose all the way to her chin. If people think you're ugly, what will they think of her?" he asked. Kellyn froze slightly, what would people think of Seren?

Silence filled the break room. Where was Seren anyway? As Kate was about to speak, the doors opened to reveal two Rangers in blue.

"Summer, Ben, welcome back. How'd it go in Oblivia?" Kate asked, drastically trying her hardest to change the subject from scars.

"Meh, better than ever, Summer's scarred for life though," Ben answered as Summer lifted left sleeve up to reveal a pale scar. It was small, about the length of her arm and a centimetre wide, but with her sleeve, it wasn't noticeable.

The whole group sighed; there was no avoiding the subject of scars with everything that's gone off. Sven grabbed the remote for the TV as he flipped it on, news reports from the Kanto Region came on as the group tuned into them.

"_As you can see, strong winds have been picking up a lot more this week than ever before. The cause for this unknown climate change is still a mystery. Here we are, stood at the spot where the lightning struck the ground. We see it has created a large hole in the ground, but there's something more. Besides this large hole are, what look to be almost like, claw prints. Could something have come from this large hole? If so what?" _for some reason the camera cut out then as the strong winds started blowing.

Sven flipped through every news channel, Sinnoh, Johto, Hoenn and Unova, each region had the exact same report coming in. Strong winds, claw, or hand marks next to the place where the lightning struck the ground.

"Is that an Unown?" Rythmi asked as she looked at the back of the reporter in the Unova Region.

Indeed it was an Unown, but what letter, or symbol, our friends could make out.

Kate stood to her feet once more as she walked to the doors.

"I'm heading off to find Seren, Arceus knows where she's gotten to," she stated as she walked.

Summer ran to catch her up, having not spent any time with her fellow brunette in a while. Rythmi stayed as she and the rest thought about what could be going on.

* * *

"Mommy, what happened to that lady's face?" a little boy asked as he pointed to Seren, who was helping a Skitty down from a tree for the woman.

"Honey, you can't just ask that," the boy's mother scolded.

Seren gave the Skitty back to the boy's mother before kneeling in front of him.

"I helped out in Operation Brighton, we all came out of it, but some of us ended up with scars, like mine," Seren smiled as she looked at the little boy. This was the third child that week that had pointed out her scar.

Unlike the rest, the little boy reached out to touch it. Seren didn't flinch or move away from him as the little boy touched her face, instead she smiled at him.

The little boy smiled back at her.

"Will it heal?" the boy asked.

"In due time, but it will always be there," Seren smiled.

"The scars a Ranger carries around with them are a sign of their bravery," the woman spoke. The little boy looked at his mother before looking back at Seren.

"You must be really brave then," the boy said in awe. Seren nodded her head.

"I'd give my life to save this Region, and the world," she replied. The boy's smile widened as he hugged Seren tightly.

"Mommy, I want to be a Ranger when I grow up!" he stated as he walked away with his mother. Seren smiled at the child, proud that she could help him choose his path for the future.

"Hey, Seren!" Seren turned around to see Kate and Summer running towards her.

"Hey guys," she smiled as Summer stopped to look at her.

"Something's different about you," she noted. Summer, at times, could be blind. She wasn't one for someone's looks, more their personality, so if something was wrong with their physical appearance; it took her a while to catch on. "I got it, you got a haircut," she stated, Kate and Seren both laughed at her.

"Close, I've got a scar," Seren replied as she pointed to her face.

"Oh yeah," Summer mused as she looked at her scar.

"Did you notice Kellyn's?" Kate asked.

"Kellyn has a scar?" Summer asked.

"Yeah, and he keeps complaining about it. Anyway, how come you weren't in the break room?" Kate asked, turning her attention to Seren.

"I was stopped by a woman who asked me to get her Skitty down from a tree. What did Kellyn say about his scar?" Seren answered before questioning Kate.

"Huh? Oh, just the usual, that we're his friends so we don't realise the scar, that it's the one thing that makes him ugly and that when people see it they'll instantly think he's ugly," Kate answered as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Excuse me I need to go speak with him," Seren replied once she heard what he had said. She took off running towards the Union, not waiting for Summer or Kate to reply to her.

Seren ran through the halls towards the break room. When she entered she saw everyone there, except Kate, Kellyn and Summer, they were all tuned into the news.

"You guys seen Kellyn?" Seren asked as she walked over to her friends.

"He went to his room to sulk," Keith answered.

"He's depressed about that stupid scar," Wendy added. Neither of the two looked at Seren as they spoke.

"Thanks," with that, Seren ran out of the break room once again, this time towards her room.

The door slammed open as Seren walked in. Kellyn jolted from his place on the bed as he looked up at Seren, she didn't look angry, at least not yet. Kellyn figured she forced the door open too hard because she was running.

"Hey Seren," Kellyn smiled, trying to hide his depressive mood.

"Drop the act," Seren ordered as she glared at him. Kellyn sat up as he looked at her, his smile still in place.

"What act?" he asked as he tried his hardest not to let his smile fade.

"You still think you're ugly with that scar?" Seren asked. Kellyn's smile did fade this time, the guys had told her.

"They told you, didn't they?" he asked, Seren nodded her head as she folded her arms.

"How stupid can you be?" she asked, Kellyn gave her a confused look. "I helped a woman today get her Skitty out the tree. Her son couldn't help but question what happened to my face. Yes, the woman scolded him, but I explained and do you know what the woman said?" Seren asked, Kellyn shook his head.

"The scars a Ranger carries around with them are a sign of their bravery," Seren stated.

Kellyn just frowned. "That's only because this Region knows what we did in Operation Brighton. If we go anywhere else I'll be stared at, people will talk about me and then they'll point things out. I'm ugly and I can't change that now. No matter where we go, people will laugh and I won't be able to take that pressure," he replied with a sigh as he held his head in his hands.

"Fine, then get yourself a new partner," Seren stated as she walked out of the room. Kellyn's head shot up as he looked at the space she had just been.

'_Do you honestly feel that scars make your face ugly? Then you must think I'm ugly.'_

He had completely forgotten about the scar on Seren's face. All this time, Kellyn had focused on his own scar. The boy worried about _his_ looks, _his_ scar and how _he'd_ be seen by others. Seren slipped from his mind completely.

Kellyn hadn't noticed that Seren's scar was twice as bad as his own. Heck, he hadn't even noticed it until the night of that thunderstorm. Granted it was ugly but...but it didn't make Seren any uglier herself. Kellyn was always staring at her eyes, which were always sparkling with life. The eyes that were windows to her soul. Seren had one hell of a personality. Something that Kellyn couldn't help smiling to.

Now he couldn't smile. Seren was mad at him. And probably feeling self-conscious herself. Unintentionally, Kellyn called her ugly. Seren took offence to it, her feelings very hurt.

"_Fine, then get yourself a new partner."_

"Damn it..." Kellyn muttered. "Arceus freaking damn it."

He must've really ticked off his partner. Or, ex-partner as Seren had said. Kellyn didn't want to work solo or find another partner. Seren was the only one he wanted to be with. They were the perfect team! Ever since ranger school, the two of them handled any challenge that came their way. Kellyn liked having her around. It was comforting to know that Seren was there when he needed her and, of course, he'd always be there for her.

Lying back on the bed, Kellyn stared up at the ceiling. Regret pounded in his head, screaming at him about the terrible mistake he committed. Already the ranger felt alone. Worst feeling in the world.

But now he had to wonder, how, in the name of Arceus, was he going to make things right again?

* * *

**Kellyn: I'M A TERRIBLE PERSON! I'M AWFUL! *Goes to cry***

**Sky: If he's not complaining about the scar he's complaining about something else.**

**Seren: Can you kill him off already?**

**HTF: No! We need Kellyn, unfortunately, to pair you up with.**

**Seren: Please tell me that it's unfortunate that I'm paired with him.**

**Sky: No, it's unfortunate we need him.**

**Seren: *Walks off to cry.***

**Kate: I wonder if Rythmi will get through this. RYTHMI!**

**Rythmi: Hiya! **

**Kate: *Points to audience***

**Rythmi: Oh, right. Well, we hope you enjoyed that chapter. You know what to do next, hit that button below us and there shall be a new update soon. No reviews no- SEREN PUT THOSE PILLS DOWN! *Rushes over to Seren***

**Kate: Nope, we're never getting through this. **

**Summer: What she meant to say was no reviews, no updates.**

**Ben: You know how this system works.**

**Sky and HTF: We have a system now?! Since when?**

**Cast: *Face palms***

**Kate: And the writers call us idiots.**

**Keith: Just review before this gets any worse.**

**Cast: We hope you enjoyed the chapter, please REVIEW!**

**HTF: KEITH WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY NOTE BOOK!**

**Keith: OH SHIT! *Runs***


	4. Weather Changes?

**Sky: Hello people, we're back with chapter three and….. Where's the cast? *Looks around***

**HTF: GET YOUR ASSES BACK IN THAT STUDIO NOW YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BASTARDS! *Walks back in dragging the cast* We give you job, a home, food, we pay you and this is how you repay us? By running off and trying to jump off a cliff….**

**Sky: Holy miltank she's tough. O_O**

**Seren: Uh yeah. Shall we just say read, review and enjoy and get this over with?**

**Sky: You just did.**

**Seren: Oh right, well, we'll see you soon.**

**Sky: If you're not dead that is.**

**HTF: AND ANOTHER THING IF YOU THINK I'M GOING TOLERATE ALL THE MESS YOU JACKASSES CAUSED YOU'RE INCREDIBLY WRONG AND I-**

**Sky: Court, we're starting.**

**HTF: Huh? Oh, hope you enjoy the chapter *smiles sweetly* …. Now where was I? Oh yeah…..**

* * *

The sun shined over Almia as people and pokemon enjoyed the warmth it brought to their skins. Children played and frolicked with the pokemon, while workers set their stores up outside.

Couples happily ate in restaurants, or outside under a lovely sun umbrella. People shopping smiled warmly at their servers or passers-by.

But in all this happiness and joy there was one person, one broken spirit.

"Come on Seren, can't you just kiss and make up with Kellyn?" Kate asked as she walked with her friend into Pueltown.

"How can I? The guy's being a dickhead by overreacting about one little scar," Seren sighed in reply as she tried to shake the brown haired boy from her mind.

"I know, but you overreacted too," Kate pointed out as the two walked passed a couple eating ice-cream. "I wonder how much ice-cream is here," she muttered as she stopped to look in the window.

Seren turned around to face her friend, smiling a small smile as she crossed her arms. No matter how down she got, Kate's easily side tracked mind always made her smile.

"We're on patrol Kate, we'll come back later," Seren smiled as she turned away from the girl. Kate whined before following Seren into Vientown Forest.

"Alright, but we better go back or I'm suing you for damages," she replied as she ran after Seren, who turned to her with a confused expression.

"What damages?" she asked.

"The damages of me not getting any ice-cream in my tummy," Kate answered as she walked ahead. Seren shook her head as she ran to catch up with the laughing girl.

"What were we talking about before I got side tracked?" Kate asked as she looked at Seren, who shrugged.

"Can't remember," she answered as they walked. The sun started to beat down hard. Kate stopped as she tried to catch her breath, as did Seren.

"Man, the weather changes are getting stranger and stranger," Kate muttered as she held her throat, suddenly feeling very dehydrated.

Seren pulled a water bottle out before drinking a bit from it, she then handed it to Kate, who gratefully took it.

A rustling in the bushes was heard as clouds began to gather in the sky.

Seren looked up as she felt a rain drop on her nose.

"What in the world?" she asked.

"You don't think something's disturbed Raikou, Suicune and Entei do you? This normally happens when they aren't very happy," Kate stated as she quickly turned around.

Something red in the bushes caught her eyes. She quickly ran over to move the bush, but once she had, there was nothing there. Strange.

Seren hissed as she felt something bit her leg. Looking down, she saw a small Bidoof, but something was off about it. Instead of it having brown fur, it was grey, and when it looked up Seren could see piercing red eyes.

"CAPTURE ON!" Kate yelled as she quickly captured the pokemon, who looked at her. Her capture was complete quite quickly.

When she went to release the pokemon she saw that it hadn't been befriended and hadn't even appeared to have been noted as an unsuccessful capture in her style. Instead, there was nothing. It was just gone.

"Kate," Seren whispered as she moved away from the Bidoof, who turned to grey dust before blowing in the wind.

"It's just dust in the wind," Kate whispered.

"You need to lay off the music," Seren sighed as she looked at where the Bidoof had been. "Still, this is strange. First the weather changes and now the pokemon who can't be befriended," she added.

"Yeah, I know, and the pokemon wasn't agitated either. It just turned to dust," Kate whispered as she walked over to Seren.

"I wonder how much weirder things will get," she replied as they headed back towards the Union, leaving Vientown and Chicole Village to Luana and Crawford to patrol.

* * *

Meanwhile, across the seas in the Sinnoh Region, things were getting weirder and weather was completely abnormal. Almost as serious as Hoenn sometime back, with Kyogre and Groudon. Usually rainy routes were now storming like crazy. Snowpoint was in the midst of its worst blizzard in a decade; it was impossible for anyone to leave or enter the city. Even the route was shut down due to avalanches and dropping temperatures. Sunyshore City's power grid was suffering mechanical difficulties from unknown glitches. Even the far off spots of Sinnoh, such as Twinleaf and the Resort Area, were impacted by rapidly changing weather. Sunshine one second, high winds blasting the next. Light rain turned to snow which then formed into hail and straight back to clear skies; just like that.

However it wasn't only the weather that seemed to be wrong with Sinnoh. Many pokemon were unusually off. Migrating pokemon, flying and water types, seemed to either avoid Sinnoh or leave the region early. No explanation why. Meanwhile, many more pokemon on the main land were agitated. Either they retreated into safety or attacked humans out of panic. Even the domestic pokemon seemed tense. There didn't seem to be any reason for this. And just when Sinnoh civilians started to question what was wrong, pokemon started to disappear. Started out on the routes surrounding Cornet, when trainers found less wild pokemon to catch. But now even town pokemon were missing. The pokemon population dropped by a third in Celestic, Eterna and Hearthome.

That's when people began to worry. The International Police Force and Sinnoh Elite Four co-operated to track down the source of the problem. Gym leaders were asked to help out when they could. Only Pokemon trainers of expert level were asked to be careful and allowed to continue their travels. Many others had to return home temporarily, go to another region or (for newbies) postpone their journey.

Cynthia and Flint, Kate's older siblings, were in charge of Mt. Cornet. Hey, they were experts. And with everything going on, experts were needed to go up the mountain. Too many pokemon and humans were injured by rock falls already. The inside of Cornet had gotten ten times more dangerous lately.

Flint decided to scope out the bottom of the mountain while Cynthia would look towards Spear Pillar. Searching the caves and tunnels, it was found that almost all of the pokemon vanished. Just as they did outside. Whatever happened out of the mountain range was even worse inside. Rock structures were unstable as well. Like the place would come apart. Cynthia tried to move up the mountain. Very difficult because the weather surrounding the mountain was a disaster. Snowpoint was nothing compared to the stinging high winds, dropping temperatures and frigid ice that blew along the thick snow. The blond champion tried to stick to the inside of the cave as much as possible. She noted the routes got darker the farther up she went.

It was very high up the mountains (9/10's the way to the top) when Cynthia found the main cave road was a dead end. Boulders crashed and wedged themselves, forming a wall almost as hard as cement. Ok, no worries. The champion remained calm, knowing several other ways to get around the mountain. But each twist and turn was the same thing. Dead end. The avalanches of rock completely blocked off any chance of getting to Spear Pillar. And it didn't look like any pokemon could get through this stuff. Not even her own team.

Cynthia sighed. She pulled out her cell phone. Weak signal but she could still get a call through.

"Flint?" Cynthia spoke, hoping the connection reached her brother.

"Hey sis." Flint greeted. "Gotta tell ya. This is way too creepy. Pokemon are missing all over the place, structure's out of whack and the air feels so tense."

"I feel it too." Cynthia said.

"Like it drains your energy and the pressure's crushing you." Flint sounded pretty tired.

"Well I'll meet you outside the entrance to Eterna. We can talk there and report our findings to everyone else." Cynthia told him.

"You got it." Flint agreed. "Be careful, Cynthia."

"You too, Flint."

Cynthia shut off her cell phone. Low battery already? Weird. But this was a magnetic mountain where Nosepass and Magneton loved to dwell. The electric air could've interfered with the technology; such as battery and signal. Not much of a surprise.

The champion started to make her way back down the mountain. Though there seemed to be more questions in her head than when she first entered this place...

* * *

Meanwhile, Kate and Seren had just returned to the Union. Kate supporting a large ice-cream sundae, while Seren had a milkshake. Both were soaking wet, due to the freak rain fall that happened.

"What happened to you two?" Rythmi asked as they walked up to the Operator's floor. Seren was sucking out her drink through the straw. Her hair fell over her left eye dripping, while her right eye was half closed in displeasure.

"Have I ever mentioned I hate the rain?" she asked as she walked forwards. Kate, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. She was eating her ice-cream with a large smile on her face; rain fell down the side while it dripped from her pigtails.

"No, honestly you haven't," Kate replied with a mouth full of ice-cream. At that moment Kellyn and Keith both came running up the stairs with Isaac following them.

"Ok, what the hell is going on with this weather?" Keith asked as he looked at Rythmi.

"Why are you two so wet?" Isaac asked as he looked at Seren and Kate.

"Oh, kinky, Katie's wet-." Keith paused mid-pervert remark. "ICE-CREAM! MINE!"

Keith yelled as he began chasing Kate around the Operator floor for the ice-cream she had.

"And here you think there'd be nothing to do on a rainy day," Seren sighed as she looked at Rythmi.

"Well, according to weather reports, this kind of thing's happening all over the world," Rythmi stated. She brung up recent pictures of Hoenn, Johto, Kanto, Sinnoh and Unova.

"What the hell?" Seren asked as she stood behind Rythmi, Kellyn and Isaac stood next to her.

"This is bad," Kate muttered as she walked over with Keith, who had a spoon full of ice-cream in his mouth.

"I need to make a call," Seren whispered as she quickly dashed off. The others watched her leave as she quickly ran off, dropping her milkshake along the way.

"What's up with her?" Keith asked. Kellyn remained silent as he watched her leave, he had no idea what was going on. He was just like everyone else, clueless.

"Hello? I need to speak with a Miss Sarah Redfern," Seren stated as she spoke down the phone.

"I'm afraid Miss Redfern just left, I can give you her number if you like," Seren bit her lip at the reply of the male voice.

"Yes please," she whispered in reply. Sarah Redfern, Seren's mother, was someone who didn't agree with her going to Ranger school. Due to this, Seren left in secret, the moment her mother found out she lost all contact with her. However, now things were starting up again, Seren just needed to make sure she was alright.

She jotted the number of her mother down before thanking the man and hanging up. There was a knock a moment later from the door. Seren turned around to see Kellyn entering.

"You ok?" he asked. Seren looked at him before quickly hiding the number.

"Fine," she answered as she walked passed him towards the Operator's floor again. Kellyn sighed; he really had pissed Seren off this time.

Seren stood in line with a number of other Rangers. There was her, Kellyn, Kate, Keith, Luana, Crawford, Summer, Ben, Wendy and Sven.

They all stood patiently waiting for some news from Erma, good or bad, they didn't know. The ten Rangers stood in anticipation waiting for the news.

"Erma, if you know what's going on, why can't you just tell us?" Kate asked.

"That's the thing my dear, I don't know what's going on," Erma replied.

"We're waiting on a call from someone and then we shall get this meeting started," Hastings added as he looked at the ten Rangers. Each of them held a scar to show how brave they had been in Operation Brighton. Each of them had a love for each other in their hearts. Each of them had a love for the world in their hearts. And each of them made him, Erma and the Union proud to be who, or what, they were today.

Finally, the screen lit up with a number familiar to Kate. Her heart missed a beat, if they were getting involved with it, then it must be serious.

Kate bit her lip, hopefully, just this once; everyone will understand how serious things are. After all, people like _her_ wouldn't get involved with this unless they really needed to.

Rythmi answered the call.

"Hello everyone," came a familiar voice.

* * *

**Sky: There we go! Another excellent chapter by us!**

**HTF: Shouldn't you be focusing on your stories?**

**Sky: ...DAMN IT! *races off***

**Cast: *sweat drop***

**HTF: Well people. Time to click that review button and say something awesome! Then again you're awesome people anyways sooooo no worries!**

**Keith: Where'd that ticked off attitude go?**

**HTF: *smiles 'innocently'* Watch it redhead or I'll hit you with the printer.**

**Keith: Gulp! I, uh...HEY SKY! YOU NEED HELP WRITING OR WHAT!**


	5. Cynthia's Involved? Seren?

**Sky: WELCOME TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**Rhythmi: Our ever busy writer seems to be in a good mood.**

**Sky: I have a yummy sammich. HTF and I are planning this story out, which is getting very enjoyable. And this is one of the moments where I'm not crazily trying to get things done.**

**Keith: *steals sandwich***

**NOOOOOO! DATS MINE! *chases after***

**Kate: Anyone see HTF?**

**Seren: She disappeared again. Should we try to find her?**

**KEITH! GIVE ME BACK THAT SANDWICH!**

**Keith: *keeps running* You'll have to catch me first!**

**Cast: *sweat drop***

**Kate: Well...I guess as Sky would say...**

**Rhythmi: Read, review and enjoy!**

* * *

"Greetings Cynthia." Professor Hastings said, then turned to the rangers. "As you all know, we've been witnessing harsh weather changes that seem to upset the balance of nature. And not just us but other regions are suffering as well. Sinnoh seems to be the worst."

Kate and Seren glanced at each other. Should they dare mention that 'pokemon incident' from patrol earlier?

"Cynthia? Care to elaborate?" Hastings requested.

"Of course. Of all the weather changes, Sinnoh's the worst. Either routes are constantly flickering between weather patterns every few minutes or the normal weather turned into severe storms. Snowpoint and its surrounding routes have been blocked off due to a fierce blizzard enveloping the entire area. Pastroria will be evacuated due to flooding concerns as well as Sunnyshore for electrical hazards." Cynthia explained.

"Rough..." Wendy muttered.

"That's only the tip of the iceberg." Cynthia went on. "Not long after this started, the pokemon were starting to act out. Either they attacked anyone they saw or panicked, retreating into hiding."

"Pokemon are sensitive to changes in the earth, right?" Summer asked.

"Yeah! Maybe they're spooked by the weather." Luana suggested.

Cynthia shook her head. "No it seems to be something much more than that. Especially since after the behaviour started up, pokemon have disappeared."

Gasps rang among the group.

"Started out in routes surrounding Mt. Cornet. Trainers noticed not as many pokemon to catch as usual. But then even domestic pokemon were disappearing from Celestic, Hearthome and Eterna." Cynthia told them. "And it's becoming an epidemic. Pokemon are already starting to vanish from Eterna forest and other routes. Within a few days...or, perhaps even less, more cities and towns will be affected."

The rangers glanced at each other, unsure what to make of this.

"Is there anything like that in other regions, sis?" Kate asked.

"A few missing pokemon here and there but it's nothing compared to what's going on here." Cynthia replied.

"What action are you guys taking over there?" Sven questioned.

"We just postponed any new trainers from going on journeys but we may end up getting the rest to temporarily suspend. Maybe a few can help out. Gym leaders have their hands full trying to lead people and pokemon to safety. Plus the International Police Force and our Elite Four are doing their best to find out what's going on." Cynthia answered. "Actually, Flint and I investigating Mt. Cornet, where the source of our problems may lie."

Mt. Cornet, the centre of Sinnoh. And Kate knew this was where Dialga and Palkia would be should they be summoned. Also, it was rumoured Arceus' gateway to heaven was there. Kate naturally knew all of this because of her gift. Well, the gift she once _had_, anyways.

"Huh." Kate thought, realizing something. "I haven't heard from Arceus or the other legends in awhile. Have they forgotten about me? Are they not concerned because I'm not Summerland's Gift anymore? It'd be nice if I could contact them and find out what's going on right now."

"Mt. Cornet is the most hazardous I've ever seen. From the outside, impossible to climb. And the inside, rockslides and avalanches all over the place. We had to close it off to the public after several people and pokemon nearly were killed." Cynthia relayed information. "As for pokemon, there's almost none roaming inside. The air feels tense as well. Like there's more pressure or its stealing your energy."

"How's it up at Spar...Spill?...um...what's that top place called?" Ben asked, confused.

Summer rolled her eyes. "Spear Pillar."

"I thought it was Spare Pile." Keith blinked, surprised.

"Can't get through." Cynthia shook her head. "The main road's sealed away with no way getting past it. Same goes for all the other entrances and pathways. There's no way to get to Spear Pillar."

"I don't understand. Don't any of you have any idea as to who's doing this?" Seren asked as she slightly balled her fists.

"Unfortunately, we don't. If we did we would have rounded everyone up to try and take the person down. All we know is that this started around Mt. Cornet, or that is our theory anyway. It is where the most dangerous stuff has happened so far," Cynthia replied with a frown and the shake of her head.

"Our theory?" Kate asked as she looked at her older sibling.

"Yeah, Flint was with me, but he's gone to Hoenn to see how bad the weather is over there," Cynthia answered. "If any of you have any ideas of what could be happening around the globe, contact us immediately okay? I have to go now, Sunnyshore needs help evacuating," Cynthia then hung up the phone without an answer.

"You all heard the Champion. If anything strange happens contact her immediately, and report it to us. Until then, you're all ordered to patrol around Almia, and be careful," Hastings ordered as he walked off with Erma, a thoughtful look on both their faces.

Seren wasted no time as she disappeared from her friends without them noticing, they were all too engaged in their own conversation.

"Whatever's going on must be bad," Crawford stated.

"Cynthia and Flint wouldn't get involved if it wasn't," Kate added.

"But who, or what, could do something like this?" Kellyn asked.

"If we knew that I'm sure we'd already be on their ass," Summer growled as she punched her left palm with her right hand.

"Hey, am I the only one who's noticed Seren's ran off?" Ben asked as he looked around. Everyone's attention was caught as they looked around the room, trying to see if they could find the black haired girl. But no, she had literally vanished.

"Hello? Is this Miss Sarah Redfern?" Seren asked down the phone as she bit her lip.

"Yes it is, who is this?" a woman's voice came from the other end. Seren sighed slightly.

"That…. Doesn't matter right now. I was just calling to make sure you were alright. With the weather changes and everything," Seren answered as she bit her lip.

"I am fine, but who is this. Tell me, or I shall track the number," Sarah replied as she began getting angry.

"You don't recognise my voice?" Seren asked as she tried her hardest not to sound upset, or mad.

"No, who is this?" Sarah asked again.

"I'm your daughter, Seren," Seren answered.

There was a pause on the other end of the line before Sarah spoke again.

"Pathetic little shit, don't call this number again," she demanded before hanging up the phone.

Seren pulled the phone away from her ear. Her mother had always been like that with her. Calling her names, saying she was useless. Seren looked in the mirror in the bathroom. She was the spitting image of her father, or so she was told.

The raven haired girl didn't know the man. It never occurred to her to even try to track him down. What was the point? She knew who he was, where he was and she didn't care.

Kellyn's face flashed before Seren's eyes. He hated scars, thought they made a person's face ugly. Seren had scars, but not just the one on her face. She was emotionally scarred, for life at that.

And then there was a physical scar she had down her back. One night when- no, she wouldn't think about it. She just couldn't, it was too painful.

Seren felt something warm drip onto her face. A tear. She was crying. Seren sighed. She hadn't cried in a long time, at least, not about her mother.

As she tried to stop the tears they came harder. Seren cupped her hands over her face as she sat on the bathroom sink of hers and Kellyn's room. She cried, long and hard as she imagined the past she had once had with her mother.

* * *

Right at that moment, in another part of the dorms, Kate was lying on her bed upside down. Blood rushed to her brain but between all the thoughts circling in there, she barely felt anything. There was so much to think about. And it felt like so little time.

"Helloooo? Earth to Kate? We're losing you!"

Keith's voice rang out from his bed on the other side of the room. He had been reading a comic book but now focused his attention on his pigtail'd partner.

"Hey Mossdeep City, we have a problem. Over!" Keith joked. "Kggggh! It seems we're losing her! Kate's lost in space! Kgggghhh! Epic walkie talkie cackling noises of doom! KGGGHHHH!"

Kate couldn't help but smile. She rolled her eyes, flipping herself back onto the bed in normal sitting position.

"So what's the matter, Katie? Care to share?" Keith asked.

"I've been thinking about what's going on lately." Kate replied.

"Like the cafeteria's serving nachos for lunch today?" Keith assumed.

Kate threw a pillow at him. "Idiot."

"HEY!"

"I meant about what's going on in Sinnoh and across the world. Even our own regions being impacted by this stuff." Kate told him.

"The weather stuff is kinda freaky." Keith noted.

"Not just the weather." Kate shook her head. "The pokemon. Cynthia said they got upset before disappearing. And now that's starting to spread throughout Sinnoh."

Keith paused. He wore a blank look as he listened to his partner.

"How many more pokemon are going to wipe off the face of the planet? And for how much longer will they suffer?" Kate continued. "I'm really worried. I'd hate to think these pokemon got injured or killed in the chaos. Arceus forbid the epidemic comes here or in any other region."

The redhead sighed. He got up, then came over to sit down beside Kate.

"Hey. Don't worry too much about this." Keith said. "We've got lots of people working on the issue. Worst case scenario, we rangers will get involved. All of those pokemon will be back safe and sound. And we'll get the weather right back on track too."

"Thanks Keith." Kate grinned, feeling a little better.

"Any time." Keith messed up the girl's hair.

"Also, have you noticed Seren lately?" Kate asked as her friend came to mind.

"Sere?" Keith blinked. "What about her?"

"There's talk that she'll ditch Kellyn as ranger partners because he's flipping about the scars again. She's pretty ticked off about it." Kate explained. "Although I think there's something else wrong."

"More than the scar?" Keith tipped his head sideways, confused.

"Yeah. Rushing off at random times, a little concerned about something, spacier than usual...she's only taken four pictures this week." Kate recalled.

"Four? So?" Keith asked.

"Seriously? You don't know? That's way less than the usual photo count she takes per week! Seren almost never goes below quota!" Kate informed.

Keith blinked once. Twice Kate realized that the information was completely lost on her naive redheaded friend.

"You're hopeless." She sweatdropped.

"AM NOT!" Keith pouted.

* * *

Rythmi frowned as her typing seized to a stop on the computer. She had been asked by Isaac to print off a couple of pictures on Seren's camera of the machines he was working on. But, now that she had looked at them, she became worried for her friend.

"Hey, Rythmi, you printed me those pictures…. What the?" Isaac asked as he looked at the screen. Each picture was brought up in a different window, each was blurred, each had some mysterious figure in the background.

"These are from Seren's camera," Rythmi stated as she turned to look at Isaac, who frowned.

"Those can't be," Wendy spoke as she and Sven walked over towards them.

"It's Seren's camera alright," Isaac sighed as he held up the white camera with the initials S.R printed on them.

"But, she never has things unfocused," Sven muttered as a sound of thunder clapped in the sky.

"Okay, this is starting to get creepy," Rythmi whispered as she looked around.

"Whooo, eeeeeee, ooohhhh," Wendy whirled around on instinct, hitting whatever made the noise in the process.

"OU! Jheeze Wendy, a little harder and you could have broken my nose!" Keith hissed as he and Kate looked at the four teens who had gathered around Rythmi's computer.

"What is that?" she asked. Rythmi sighed as she showed Kate the camera.

"I think something's wrong with Seren," Sven muttered as he turned to Wendy, who sighed.

"Sven's right. Even though she hasn't been a Top Ranger long, she never has a picture unfocused," she stated.

"And she always puts up with Kellyn's whining.

"I do not whine!" Kellyn whined as he walked over to the group.

"You just did," Rythmi and Isaac stated.

"She never rushes off at inappropriate times," Isaac added.

"And she'll always confront us if need be," Keith shrugged. The group thought for a moment before Keith's stomach rumbled.

"Guess we should get the food we came here to get, huh?" he asked as he looked at Kate, who shook her head.

"You go, I'm not hungry anymore," she sighed as she rubbed her temples. With the weather changes, pokemon disappearing and turning to dust, her brother and sister getting involved in this, Kate was getting more and more stressed. The last thing she needed was her friend to be keeping secrets, or be in pain.

Keith shrugged as he walked off form the group. Day had come and gone; now night fell over the Ranger Union.

He wandered the dark halls as he walked towards the cafeteria in the Union, his stomach growling as he did so. But suddenly, he stopped, a noise filled the air.

Keith turned around; trying to locate the sound, but it had stopped. He started on his way again, but the noise started again, this time closer.

Keith gulped, he never was one for the dark, he hated it, couldn't stand it, but he didn't know what was making that sound, he had to find out.

'_Curiosity killed the cat, maybe I should leave the noise,' _Keith thought as he walked again. The sound was closer this time, but he made it out to be…..sniffling, like someone was….crying?

Keith followed his ears, finding himself outside of Seren and Kellyn's room. He slowly opened the door and walked inside. The bathroom light was turned on, but Kellyn was with the others. Was Seren the one crying?

Keith walked towards the bathroom before slowly opening the door. There was Seren, curled up on the sink, knees drawn to her chest, head buried, crying her eyes out.

"Seren?" Keith's voice snapped her out of it. She froze completely as she looked up slowly from her knees. Seren's tear stricken face bored into Keith's as she looked at her friend in shock.

"What's wrong?" he asked, but Seren only shook her head.

She stood from the sink as she ran passed Keith, knocking him down before leaving the room.

Keith remained where he was, more confused than ever. There was Seren, the strongest girl he knew after Kate, crying her eyes out in the bathroom.

He slowly walked out of the room, being sure to leave everything as it was before closing the door. For now, the red head would keep this to himself before asking her about it.

But first thing's first, Keith's stomach growled, food.

* * *

**Seren: You made me sound like a cry baby.**

**I needed to give you another emotion besides your pissed off attitude.**

**Kellyn: I'll say, it's like you're on your period 24/7.**

**Seren: Zip it you or I'll get you!**

**Kellyn: I'll be good!**

**So, moving on–**

***vase smashes***

**Sky: GIMME BACK MY SAMMICH!**

**She's still chasing Keith?**

**Kate: Yup, anyway, I'll go find Rythmi!**

**Okay, so I know this story is more centred around Seren for now, but trust me there will be just as much amount as shipping in for other characters. Trust me, we have everything planned out, but the best bet on the shipping's for the ideas so far as Sven and Wendy, Luana and Crawford and Seren and Kellyn, we still need a couple ideas for Isaac and Rythmi and Kate and Keith, but we're working on it.**

***glass breaks***

***turns to see Keith jumping out the window***

**Keith: I'M TARZAN! YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME NOW! *hits force field***

***sweat drops***

**Sky: *bites into sammich***

**So, let me see if I got this right. You chased Keith, who in the end gave you the sammich and then Tarzan'd into the fore field outside the window?**

**Sky: Who said he gave me the sammich? I had help from Ice and Red Eyes, thanks guys!**

**Ice and Red Eyes: *smirks***

**RYTHMI! COME SAY YOUR PART PLEASE!**

**Rythmi: Well, that's it for today folks. Please read and review and you know, Sky and HTF will update when they can, but be patient with everything going off, both are very busy and-**

**WHAT THE HELL DOES VITAL CAPACITY MEAN?! I CAN NEVER REMEMBER THAT!**

**Keith: She's so failing this exam.**

**Kate: You're telling me.**

**Isaac: The greatest amount of air the lungs can take in and breathe out.**

**Really? I've been using the wrong definition for things.**

**Isaac: You're failing this.**

**DON'T REMIND ME!**

**Rythmi: Yeah, so just review already.**

**BYE, BYE EVERYONE!**

**Cast: We look forwards to seeing you next time! *bows***


	6. Keith and Seren's New Friendship?

**Hey guys, we are back and we are- where the hell is Keith?**

**Seren: Crying in a corner.**

**Why?**

**Keith: Kate doesn't love me. Kate doesn't love me *rocks back and forth***

**Erm, Kate, would you mind-**

**Kate: *rolls eyes before kissing Keith's cheek***

**Keith: KATE LOVES ME! *dances***

**Yeah, so, anyway, we're back with the sixth chapter.**

**Rythmi: What happens now then?**

**Hopefully everyone will be assigned a spot and Keith may just find out why Seren's crying-**

**Seren: Hate you for that.**

**And this new found friendship between Keith and Seren may cause some jealousy for Kellyn.**

**Isaac: What about Kate?**

**Since when does she get jealous of Seren?**

**Kate: I know Seren won't go for Keith or anything, so I'm cool.**

**Ben: You know what I just realized?**

**Summer: That you're missing a few brain cells?**

**Ben: No, that Sky's not here.**

**Everyone: *looks around***

**Sky: *in a creepy whisper* You will soon transform my pretty, you shall be something you never dreamed off. Mwahahaha.**

**Yeah, I'm not even gonna ask.**

**Cast: *gulps***

**Just read and enjoy.**

* * *

Thunder clasped in the sky as Kate looked out of her window. Lightning struck down to the earth as she watched with a frown.

"Raikou," she whispered. What the hell was going on with the legendries? Kate knew if something bad was happening but they would surely contact her, right?

She bit her lip. If that was a natural occurrence of the weather and not Raikou, then something was very wrong. But if this was because Raikou was angered, then something was wrong.

Kate shook her head, something was wrong either way, she could feel it.

The door opened to reveal Keith with two slices of pizza, warmed up from the Union's microwave. Kate smiled as he passed her one before biting into it.

Silence filled the room, which was unusual for Keith, unless he was thinking about something that truly had him puzzled.

"What's wrong Keith?" Kate asked as she walked over to the red head, who sat on his own bed.

"Nothing, it's just," Keith hesitated, if he told Kate he had seen Seren crying, would she go question her? "It's just that I saw Seren crying," Keith stated, he needed to get it off his chest.

Kate froze on the spot, remaining silent as she process his words. Seren? Crying? Impossible. Wasn't it?

Kate frowned, she thought back to the Ranger School days, Seren almost always seemed happy and cheerful around her.

"Don't bother thinking about when you first met her, she was more open then," Keith stated. Kate smiled slightly, he knew her all too well.

"Well, why don't you fill me in on what she was like?" Kate asked. Keith sighed but nodded his head.

"You see, when she first arrived she was very jumpy, it was odd really. The slightest touch made her freeze and whip around to the person who touched her in alarm. She was silent for days on end, never speaking to everyone or just giving one word answers. She was smart though, if she was asked a question she always answered it correctly. It was almost like she was shutting herself out to get herself somewhere with Rangering, like she was trying to prove a point to someone," Keith began explaining as Kate nodded her head listened to every word.

"So, what changed?" she asked as she looked at Keith, who laughed.

"Kellyn came along a few weeks into the first semester. He was from Johto High School originally, while Seren was from Hoenn High School-,"

"They're rival schools aren't they?" Kate asked, Keith nodded his head.

"Yeah, so he instantly recognized Seren as a Hoenn High School student, something about her eyes, and she instantly recognized him as a Johto High School student. Naturally, they hated each other. Kellyn began hanging out with us, while Seren was still a loner, spending most of her time in the library or in her room," Keith continued, Kate frowned.

"Did she speak to Isaac in the library?" she asked.

"Isaac was the first person to become one of Seren's friends. He shared the same interests as her and the two became really close with intelligence and pokemon they liked. But other than that they kept their private life private. Rythmi came next, also sharing a like with intelligence and pokemon, but still Seren kept her family life secret," Keith answered.

"How did you come into it then?" Kate asked. Keith smirked slightly.

"I came into it by total accident. I had set up one of those 'bucket-over-the-door' water pranks on Kincaid because I saw him enter the library. Instead of Kincaid coming out-,"

"Your plan backfired on you and it ended up hitting Seren," Kate interrupted with a guess. Keith laughed.

"Yeah it did. Isaac and Rythmi were following her, both of them were in total shock. I instantly jumped out of my hiding place to see if she was alright. I didn't know why Seren was so closed up at the time and I was scared I might have done something to make her more anti-social. Instead she blew up at me, yelling, screaming and she even slapped me once or twice-," Kate laughed when she heard that.

"Wasn't funny, it stung like hell," Keith complained. Kate laughed harder.

"Okay, so… what happened after that?" she asked once she gained her breath again.

"Well, it was strange really. Ever since that I became close with her, Rythmi and Isaac did and Kellyn tolerated her instead of causing a huge fight, like the one that happened the very first time they saw each other. Be lucky you weren't there, Seren sent Kellyn packing with a broken nose," Keith answered as he shook his head.

"Hoenn High are some of the strongest kids in the world," Kate stated as she shrugged.

"Either way, we all became close with her. But there are still things we don't know, like who her parents are, where she comes from in Hoenn, or anything. At graduation none of her parents were there, none of her family were. We haven't even met any of them when it was parent's time to visit. During parent's week at school when parents came to spend a week to speak with their children's teachers and watch their children learn no one showed up. It made us all think Seren was an orphan, but when we asked her about why her parents couldn't come she just replied with 'they're working'," Keith explained. Thunder clapped in the sky again, causing the electric to go out. Keith gulped.

"There's no point in dwelling over it now. Let's get some sleep and speak about it in the morning," Kate stated.

"No! You can't say a single word to anyone until I know why she was crying, promise me Kate," Keith ordered. Kate nodded her head, though she doubted Keith could see it.

"Alright, I promise," she replied as she stood up off of Keith's bed. A hand stopped her from moving.

"Don't go," Keith whispered as he looked up at Kate, who frowned. She had forgotten he was scared of the dark and after the incident with Darkrai a month ago she understood why he preferred to have the lights on at night. It even made Kate feel safer.

"Alright, move over," she whispered as she joined Keith in the bed before snuggling up to him.

Keith frowned as he wrapped his arms around Kate's waist. He was going to tell her a month ago that he loved her, but now…. He just didn't know if he could.

With a silent sigh, Keith fell asleep with his partner in his arms. Both still in their uniforms, but neither caring. They peacefully fell asleep within the warmth of each other as rain continued to pour down.

* * *

At the same time, Cynthia was walking through Route 210 as rain was starting to pick up as well. She didn't mind a little rain; been through worse. And with other areas within the region getting harsh weather conditions, this was one of the better places to be.

"Hmmmm." Cynthia glanced around.

"_Cynthia."_

Aha. There he was. Cynthia saw a blur flash in the trees before it landed before her.

"What's the report, Lucario?" The champion asked.

"_Many more pokemon are gone. I saw a few that are toughing this out but..."_ Lucario's voice trailed off, depressed.

Cynthia sighed. Another route seized by this strange occurrence. At this rate, Solaceon town's pokemon would be up and missing within two to three days. Maybe sooner. Veilstone wouldn't be far behind. And of course there's Oreburgh and Hearthome too.

"_The air...it's tense."_ Lucario cringed. _"I can see why the pokemon here are on edge."_

"That bad? Maybe I should call you back into your pokeball." Cynthia suggested.

Lucario shook its head. _"Not yet. There's something evil nearby."_

"Evil?"

"_I'm not sure but..."_ Lucario started to say.

A growl interrupted the conversation. Lucario was already in attack stance. Something made the tall grass shake. Cynthia prepared herself for what was to come. A minute of that low, threatening growl. Two minutes. Then, the pokemon came out.

It had been a Ponyta. Though something was wrong with it. The peach-fuzz skin was a light grey instead of cream. Flames on its back were dark grey and charcoal black. Even the eyes were odd; blood red. Not a normal Ponyta at all. Couldn't be a shiny either.

"What is this pokemon?" Cynthia whispered.

"_I don't know. But I don't think we should wait to find out." _Lucario advised. _"Say the word and I'll attack it."_

Though Lucario was a steel type and Ponyta was fire, Cynthia was confident her pokemon would win. She trained each of her partners to be top notch in battling. Naturally, Lucario could take a hit or two and still win.

"Lucario! Extreme speed!" Cynthia gave the order.

Lucario did as asked. Ponyta dodged and launched a flamethrower. Though this flamethrower was like its colouring; grey and black. Flames licked Lucario's skin and, though it looked like it stung, Lucario managed to shake it off.

"_That attack, something's not right."_ Lucario said.

"I see it too." Cynthia said.

The fighting/steel pokemon leapt into the air and went for a force palm. Ponyta was hit but sent out another dark fire attack. Same strange colours but now Cynthia detected something else.

"It's more than an ordinary fire attack." Cynthia noted.

"_Part dark type."_ Lucario confirmed, using quick guard.

"That can't be right." Cynthia frowned. "Ponytas are strictly fire type pokemon. There's no possible way for one to learn a dark type move. Not even through TM's."

"_Dark type move, strange colouring and an aura that's unlike anything I've ever seen. An evil, sinister aura that holds no light,"_ Lucario told her, shivering.

"That's enough to tell me it holds a threat. Let's take it out and bring it to the Pokemon Centre for inspection." Cynthia said. "Finish it with Aura Sphere!"

Lucario raised its paws, generating energy within them. The sphere shot out and struck the Ponyta head on. A loud screech came from the pokemon. Cynthia was about to bring out a new ultra ball when something weird happened.

The Ponyta's body started to disintegrate. Turned into a pile of grey dust. And that dust blew away into the wind. There was no evidence to tell the pokemon had been there before.

Cynthia regained composure from the shock, turning to Lucario. "Can you track its aura?"

"_I can't."_ Lucario replied grimly. _"The moment I defeated it, the aura slipped away into nothingness."_

"I don't suppose we killed the Ponyta." Cynthia folded her arms as a chill entered the air.

"_You trained me not to. And unless you were in a life or death situation, I would never defy the rule you set for me."_ Lucario responded.

Cynthia smiled a little. "I praise you for that."

She felt a tiny bit proud, for a split second, that she trained her pokemon well. The champion had basic knowledge of attacks and their power. Lucario's aura sphere might have been enough to make a Ponyta faint. But to kill it? No way.

"_I assume you're thinking of a plan?" _Lucario guessed.

"You assume right." Cynthia answered. "Weather's getting worse so I'll settle in Veilstone for tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'm calling in the rangers. We're going to need all the help we can for a situation like this."

* * *

Back at the Union, Seren sat atop the Tree of Harmony on the top floor. She watched the lightning strike many places in Almia, getting an eerie feeling every time one hit.

Footsteps sounded behind the black haired girl, who was too distracted to even notice them. She sighed as thunder boomed in the air.

"Seren?" the black haired girl jumped at the sound of a male's voice from below the tree. Luckily, it wasn't Kellyn.

Looking down, Seren found herself looking at Keith. She smiled slightly as she looked away from him. She sniffed before wiping her face of the remaining tear stains.

"It's strange to see you crying, I'd ask if you were okay, but I don't think you are. What wrong?" Keith asked as he climbed up the tree next to Seren, who shook her head.

"Nothing, I'm fine Keith," she answered. Keith frowned, he knew she was lying.

"Seren, I know you. You've taken next to no pictures this week, fallen out with Kellyn, avoided talking much and just earlier tonight you were crying. What is going on?" Keith asked, slightly more forceful than before.

"It doesn't matter you just won't under-," Seren stopped herself. Out of everyone in the Union, Keith would understand the most. She sighed, maybe it would be best to confide in Keith more than anyone else.

"Alright, I'll tell you. Do you know when I first came to the Ranger School, when I was all silent?" Seren asked, Keith merely nodded his head.

"Course, how could I forget? You were silent up until I pulled that prank that accidentally hit you instead of Kincaid," he stated. Seren almost laughed at the memory.

"Yeah, well, it was all because of my mom. You see, she wanted me to be a trainer, coordinator or a breeder when I grew up. But when the Rangers came to my town, Mauville City, and helped everyone with their problems when there were no trainers around, I wanted to be a Ranger," Seren began explaining. Lightning filled the skies once more, lighting up the girl's tear stained face.

"But?" Keith asked, Seren sighed.

"But my mother was against it. She hated the idea of Rangers, never told me why though," she answered.

"And your father?" Keith asked, Seren bit her lip.

"I don't know my father," she whispered. Keith's eyes widened slightly. "But that's besides the point. The minute I said I wanted to be a Ranger, my mother did everything in her power to try and stop me. Every time it was brought up she beat me. My oldest brother had was leaving for his journey the next day. When I told him I wanted to be a Ranger, I thought he'd support me, instead he laughed in my face and agreed with our mother, who was stood behind me at the time. I was beaten by them both. Then came when I told my youngest brother, he didn't know much about anything, so I told him stories about Rangers, Trainers, Coordinators and Breeders. When he went to mother and told her about the Rangers and how he thought it sounded fun, she beat him before beating me," stray tears made their way from Seren's eyes as she spoke.

"What did you do?" Keith asked, urging her to go on. Seren took a deep breath.

"This all happened when I was only thirteen. I did what any teen in my situation would do. I got a job, saved money and two years later I fled to the Ranger School. My mom found out a day later, she instantly rang me, calling me a traitor, a bitch and fucking pathetic. She then said if she ever saw me again she'd give me something to remember her by-,"

"Sounds scary," Keith interrupted in a whisper. Seren nodded her head, drawing her knees to her chest.

"It was, that's why I've avoided Hoenn ever since. I can't stand the thought of going back at all. But I rang her a few nights ago to make sure she was okay with everything going on. She called me a pathetic bitch and told me never to call her number again," she added as the tears flowed freely from her eyes.

Keith frowned as he pulled her friend in for a hug. He knew what she had gone through, he had experienced it with his own step-mother and father. Though he was shocked Seren didn't know who her father was.

"That doesn't explain why you've fallen out with Kellyn though," Keith thought aloud. Seren pushed him away as she stood up. She turned around, pulling the back of her shirt up as she did so. Keith's eyes went wide as he saw the size of the scar going around the bottom of her back, from the left side to the right.

"I've always done something to cover it up, with the help of pokemon, no one knows about it. I'm mentally scarred as well as physically and I can't stand the thought of Kellyn thinking scars make you ugly," she replied as she let her top go. Seren then turned back around as the sun rose above the horizon.

Both teens jumped down from the Tree of Harmony before Keith turned to Seren, a kind smile on his face. She knew instantly that he would tell no one.

"You're secret's safe with me, why were you up at this time anyway?" Keith asked as the sun began shining through the tree's leaves.

"Too much noise to sleep, could ask you the same question though," Seren answered.

"Same answer," Keith shrugged as he and Seren walked over to the escalator. They saw their friends already up and gathered in front of Erma and Hastings, whatever it was about, they knew it wouldn't be good.

"Keith! Seren! Get over here!" Crawford called from the back of the group. Definitely wasn't good.

"Come on," Keith smiled as he started walking forwards. Seren grabbed his hand, whispered her thank you to him before giving him a soft hug.

Kate and the others watched in slight shock as the two embraced. Kellyn felt his heart sink as his stomach twisted into knots, what was going on with him?

"Anytime you need me, just give me a call," Keith smiled as he walked over to stand next to Kate, Seren walked to stand next to Kellyn, the entire group heard the rest of their conversation.

"Will do," Seren smiled back as she turned to Hastings, who nodded his head.

"Now that we're all here, I think it's time to get this meeting started," he began as 'Cynthia' appeared on the screen in bright white letters. "Ah, right on time, Cynthia," Hastings added as everyone turned to the screen.

"It's a gift. Sorry to call you here so early," she replied as she nodded to the Rangers.

"No, no, it's fine, please, tell us what you need to," Hastings smiled as he looked at the Champion, who nodded her head.

"Alright, well, things have been weird around Sinnoh. First, more and more pokemon are disappearing at a faster rate than we expected. I had a phone call from Norman of Petalburg City last night, he told me the pokemon were disappearing. Then, a few hours later I was contacted by Steven, who also gave me a report about the pokemon disappearing," Cynthia began.

"What about the other Regions?" Keith asked.

"Johto and Kanto seem to be experiencing the same attire as Hoenn, reports came in from Professor Oak and Elm on that one. I really don't understand this at all. But what made everything all the worse was an incident last night that Lucario and I encountered," Cynthia answered as she drifted off into a thinking mood.

"Yo Cynth, stay with us," Kate clapped her hand, snapping her older sister out of it.

"Oh right, sorry," she replied.

"What was the encounter?" Erma asked a little sceptically as she looked at the blonde.

"Well, it looked like what appeared to be a normal Ponyta, except its fur was fully grey, as were its flames, but with hints of black too. When it used an attack, it wasn't just any normal fire attack, the attack was grey, and/or black, but it was also a dark type move. The Ponyta's eyes were a blazing red, too. But the weirdest thing was when we defeated it, it just turned to dust," Cynthia explained, this shocked everyone, aside from Kate and Seren.

"You're not shocked?" Cynthia asked.

"Had a feeling you'd say something like that," Kate answered as she shook her head.

"We had the same incident a few days ago on patrol, only it was with a Bidoof," Seren added with a shrug.

"We didn't think anything of it at the time, so we didn't tell anyone, but now I'm starting to think different," Kate stated with a frown, Seren nodded her head.

A buzzing noise was heard from the other end.

"It's Flint, I'll put him on speaker, he went to the Hoenn Region last night, he's probably just arrived," Cynthia stated as she answered the phone. "You're on speaker Flint, the Unions on the other line of a video chat with me," she spoke into the phone.

"Cool, they need to hear this. I just arrived in Littleroot Town in Hoenn and it's like a ghost town, no people or pokemon anywhere. Professor Birch's lab is completely empty and there's no one in any of the houses. It's like they abandoned the place," Flint's voice was heard from the other phone. "The air's still as well, like there's nothing here. My pokemon are getting agitated and it feels like there's someone watching my every move. I don't know what's going on, but whatever it is we need to figure it out soon," he added as he hung up.

Cynthia sighed, she hoped to Arceus he got out of there sooner or later.

"Alright, Cynthia, what do you suggest?" Hastings asked.

"How many pairs of Rangers do you have?" she asked.

"Five," Erma answered as she glanced at the ten Rangers.

"Okay, here's what we do. We haven't had any reports in from Unova yet, so things must be alright over there. Kate and Keith, I want you to come to Sinnoh and help me. Sven and Wendy, I want you to head to Kanto and meet up with Professor Oak. Summer and Ben, can you two head to Johto and meet Professor Elm? Seren and Kellyn, I want you two to head over to Hoenn to help out flint, while Crawford and Luana pick up everything that'll be needed to done around Almia with all the Top Rangers gone," Cynthia explained. Seren paled slightly as she heard where she would be going.

"Very well, we'll set the Rangers locations up in a town in the middle of each Region," Erma replied as Cynthia nodded her head.

"Thank you Erma, I'll call in again later. I need to check up on Lucario now," Cynthia then ended the call with a wave to the Rangers.

"You have today to pack. You leave tomorrow," Hastings spoke as Rythmi made calls with the Regions to set the Rangers up.

As the group split, Keith grabbed Seren's arm, dragging her away from the group. Kellyn balled his fists as he watched her take him away, while Kate shrugged her shoulders.

Once the two were away from the group, Seren began hyperventilating. She couldn't go back to Hoenn, she couldn't go to her home town in the centre of the Region, she'd surely run into her mother.

Tears began running out of her eyes as she slipped down to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her head in them. Keith knelt down in front of her.

"Seren, Seren look at me," Keith ordered as he shook her softly. Seren looked up at him as Keith wiped away her tears.

"I know it's hard, but trust me, you can go back. Kellyn will be with you, and if I know anything, it's that he will never let anyone, not even your own mother, lay a hand on you. He cares about you," he stated.

"Kellyn's a jerk, I just don't want to go. Cynthia said that trainers had to postpone their journeys, that means my brother will be home too," she replied in a whisper. Keith sighed, he thought of the only thing he could do at that moment. He brought Seren into a hug as he let her cry into his chest.

Kellyn walked out of the dining room with a glass of water. As he walked back to his room, he saw Keith knelt on the ground with Seren in his arms.

Kellyn gritted his teeth as he clenched his hand tightly around the glass, causing it to smash in his hands. Blood ran from Kellyn's hand onto the ground as he walked away from his supposedly 'best friend' and the girl he felt for.

He slammed his bedroom door shut behind him as he walked over to his suitcase and began packing his things. How could Keith do this to him? He had Kate didn't he?

Kellyn looked up at a picture of him and the gang together. He picked it up and threw it across the room, causing it to smash against the wall.

He walked into the bathroom, rinsing his hand as he began bandaging up the new wound.

Meanwhile, Seren entered the room, her face clear of tear stains and a fake smile on her lips. She stunk of Keith's cologne though, which ticked her off, he always used too much.

As she walked across the room to grab her own deodorant she stepped on something that cracked underneath her feet. She lifted her foot up to see that it was a piece of glass. Lying next to the piece of glass, was the picture Kellyn had thrown.

Seren picked it up, why would he throw this?

Kellyn exited the bathroom with the bandage on his hand, he turned to look at Seren, who looked up at him, she gave him a soft smile.

"Why's this on the floor?" she aksed.

"It fell," Kellyn answered.

"It fell?" Seren repeated in a questioning tone. "Five feet from your dresser and smashed?" she asked in disbelief.

"The hell's it matter?" Kellyn asked as he walked passed her. His sudden snapped caused Seren to flinch, his tone was like that of her brother's when he was angry.

"What happened to your hand?" she asked in a whisper as she tried to quickly change the subject.

"Why do you care?" Kellyn asked.

Seren looked at him in disbelief as she tried to find her voice, but couldn't.

'_What the hell's it matter? You don't give a shit, why the fuck do you care about anything I do?'_

Her brother's words from long ago played in her mind as Kellyn spoke those words to her.

"I'm sorry, I was just worried that's-,"

"Well don't," Kellyn cut her off as he carried on packing his stuff. Seren flinched slightly as she looked away from the brown haired boy before getting out her own suitcase. She set the picture on her bedside table as she began packing.

* * *

Chaos everywhere in the world. Regions and even within the Union itself. But no one knew of the chaos that stormed beyond this world. Arceus sat in his domain, impatient and irritated beyond belief.

Normally the god pokemon was calm, not fazed by many things. This? This was something unforeseen. And it'd bring horrible consequences if the worlds balance wasn't back to what it should be. So Arceus had to find out what was going on as well as get to the source of that issue. All that was known was it came from the Distortion World. Who better to contact than its only inhabitant, Giratina. Took a while but Arceus managed to get his telepathy through to him.

"_Giratina…"_ Arceus growled.

"_It's been awhile."_

"_I'm sure you're aware of the problems that plague the universe right now?"_ Arceus questioned.

"_Oh of course not."_ Giratina sarcastically responded. _"I've been much too busy relaxing to even notice. YES I KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEMS."_

"_Distortion World is in your rule. You should have had a handle on things."_

Giratina scoffed. _"What do humans say? Could've, would've, should've?"_

Arceus mentally noted that Giratina was more bitter and cynical with his speech than ever. But it was understandable, what with their history. All in all, though, Arceus still had control over the pokemon. What Arceus says, goes.

"_Look, I tried to get a hold on the situation. You have no idea what I've been through since this started up."_ Giratina snapped.

"_I see your world is getting out of control. And darkness of another kind is leaking in. Everything around you crumbles as the distortion is unravelling itself."_ Arceus said.

"_So you do know. Hmpth. Then you should know that I've got my hands full trying to make sure this place doesn't fall apart. If my world goes, so does the other one. And vice versa."_

Arceus sighed. _"At least tell me what's going on. What started it all?"_

"_I haven't had a sure answer though I have suspicions. If I can catch a break from holding the joint up, I'll do some looking around. Maybe follow a lead or two."_ Giratina replied.

"_Let me know what's going on."_ Arceus said.

"_Wait, why don't you go get backup? We can't exactly handle this on our own."_ Giratina suggested.

"_The other legends are doing what they can. Though some of them have disappeared along with the pokemon. I'm unable to track their life energies."_ Arceus told him.

"_Well I was referring to Summerland's Gift." _

Summerland's Gift was a power that used to live within Kate. After the Darkrai incident, the gift left Kate. While she was offered to have it back, Kate declined. Arcues knew she didn't want the burden anymore. Still, she did have unique powers of her own. She could still understand pokemon and do amazing things. Arceus still considered her as part of the legendary family despite her no longer having the gift.

Which was why Kate couldn't get involved. She may know something was up, but it was best if she didn't have a part in this.

"_Summerland's Gift is no longer able to help_." Arceus informed. _"Things have…changed. Since you last heard."_

"_Ya mind telling me why I haven't been updated on this?"_ Giratina grumbled.

Arceus ignored the remark. _"Do what you can on your end. I'll see how every other legend is holding up and help in any way I can."_

Telepathy ended.

* * *

**Keith: Wait, wait, wait, I'm confused.**

**What else is new?**

**Keith: No, I mean why isn't Kate Summerland's Gift anymore? Why does Giratina have to hold up the other world by himself? And why's he the only one who lives in it?**

**Cast: *bashes head again walls***

**Sky: You're a freaking idiot sometimes.**

**Ya think?**

**Sky: I don't think, I know.**

**Anyway, now that that's over with, where the hell's Rythmi.**

**Rythmi: Right here, shall I do my bit now?**

***nods head***

**Rythmi: Okay, we hope you enjoyed that chapter and we'll try to get the next one up ASAP.**

**I have a test tomorrow so maybe later this week, depending on if I feel like revising for RE.**

**Ben: But that's common sense, isn't it?**

**Yeah, which is something you don't own!**

**Rythmi: Anyway, click the little review button down below and send us what you think. You know the drill, no review, no update and that makes Sky and HTF sad. **

**Sky: *cries***

***pats Sky's back* It's okay, they'll review or I shall never write another Kate and Keith story again.**

**Kate: YES!**

**Instead I'll write Kellyn and Seren ones.**

**Seren: WHAT?! LISTEN UP YOU READERS! YOU BETTER CLICK THAT REVIEW BUTTON AND LEAVE A REVIEW OR I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND I WILL KILL YOU, BURY YOU IN A SHALLOW GRAVE THEN KILL YOU AGAIN AND TORTURE YOUR GHOSTS!**

**Cast: *backs away***

**Kellyn: Well…. Someone's on their period.**

**Seren: What was that Kellyn?**

**Kellyn: *gulps* Erm, nothing. I'm just… gonna…. run….. now… BYE!**

**Seren: YOU'RE DEAD MEAT KELLYN!**

**Wow, mood swings much?**

**Sky: Just review.**

**Or I shall never update this story!**

**Cast: We thank you for reading and we hope to see you again soon.**


	7. And We're Off!

**WE ARE BACK!**

**Keith: AND DROWNING IN LEGO!**

**Seren: I thought it was Jenga?**

**Kellyn: Is it both now?**

**Kate: I can't see any Lego?**

**Sky: LEGO SHARK!**

**Keith: AH! SAVE ME!**

**Kate: Time to put up the help wanted sign.**

**Way ahead of you.**

**Keith: OH THANKS A FUCKING LOT! *swims away from shark***

**What's his problem?**

**Isaac: No idea, you want to say whatever it is you want to say?**

**YUS! I have four exams when I go back to school but for now I'm free for a week.**

**Isaac: You're actually revising?**

**Better than being yelled at…. AGAIN! But yeah, I have four exams two maths and two science, so there will be no updates whenever those exams are, least I don't think there will be. **

**I apologise for this whole thing being late, really I do, don't kill me.**

**On another note, my co-author Sky, is stuck with writers block, but we know where this story's heading, so we should be okay for this one since there's two of us.**

**Worrying us more, is the fact that she is also ill, I won't say how or anything, that's her job. But please go easy on her for the slowness of her updates and for the slowness of Distorted Mayhem until she is back on track.**

**Seren: *hands Sky bowl of chicken ramen***

**As you can see we're working hard to take care of her.**

**Kate: A few hours ago she was riding on a boat through the Jenga Sea to fight off the Jenga shark and now she's sofa bound?**

**Er, yeah, I guess? Anyway, we'll try to get this story updated as much as possible, but with my exams, and Sky's writers block and sickness, we're not sure how often that will be.**

**Seren: *looks up* Luckily HTF has a week-long vacation this week, so she should be able to write more.**

**If I feel like it.**

**Readers: *glare***

**Er, I mean, I shall write as much as I can!**

**Isaac: Let's just get on with the chapter before you die.**

**Good idea.**

**Keith: WHAT ABOUT ME?!**

**Cast: ENJOY!**

* * *

The Rangers gathered in front of Hastings the following morning. Their luggage was being taken to where the Staraptors were being held for their flights to the other Regions. Hastings and Erma wanted to see them off before they left.

"We wish you all the best of luck, now Professor Hastings will tell you where you're stationed," Erma smiled as she turned to Hastings, who nodded his head.

"Kate and Keith, you will be in the Sinnoh Region stationed in Eterna City. You will be meeting with Cynthia upon arrival. Ben and Summer, you two are off to the Johto Region stationed in Golden Rod City, not exactly the center, but the largest place with lots of buildings. Sven and Wendy, I want you two to head to Saffron city in the Kanto Region. Form there head to meet Professor Oak, he can help you. Seren and Kellyn, you two will head to Hoenn, stationed in Mauville City, Flint will meet you there," Seren froze. They were heading to Mauville City? Why? Out of all the cities in the Hoenn Region, why there?

Keith noticed her frozen state, frowning he elbowed Kate, who cast a short glance at Seren. Kate became confused as she looked at Keith, who frowned, Kate knew something was wrong.

"You leave in ten minutes," Erma sighed. "We're sorry to bring all this on you like this, but the world needs protecting once again," she added, Hastings nodded his head.

"Good luck," the two smiled as they watched the teens walk off. Rythmi rushed after them, wanting to spend a few more minutes with them, Isaac followed her.

"Kellyn, mate, can I talk to you?" Keith asked as he looked at Kellyn, who frowned at him, but followed. Kate watched Keith lead Kellyn away from the group, he looked back to mouth an 'I'll-tell-you-later' to Kate, who nodded her head.

Once Kellyn and Keith were away from the group, Keith looked at his brown haired friend.

"I need you to watch out for Seren..." Keith started.

"What makes you think I won't?" Kellyn asked defensively.

"Well, she's mad at you, and you don't seem too happy this morning. But she needs a friend now more than ever," Keith answered.

"You'd know all about that wouldn't you?" Kellyn hissed as he glared at Keith, who became confused.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, Kellyn glared at him.

"I've seen you around Seren, hugging her, touching her, you've been all lovey with you. You've got Kate, so why go for Seren?" he asked. Keith's eyes went wide.

"Woah, no dude, slow down, it isn't like that. I just found out some recent stuff about Seren that's brought us closer, that's all," Keith answered as he looked at Kellyn wide eyed.

"Sure looks like it, just stay away from her, or you'll regret it," Kellyn hissed.

"Dude, you're not jealous are you?" Keith asked.

Kellyn glared at Keith.

"That's rich, you're jealous of me and Seren," Keith stated as he laughed. Kellyn wasted no time in balling his fist and swinging for Keith, who expertly caught it.

"Kellyn, you know I wouldn't do something like that to you. Seren's your girl, but if you don't do something soon, you will lose her," Keith pointed out as he walked away towards his friends. Kellyn balled his fists again as he punched the wall in front of him.

Meanwhile, Seren stood in complete silence as Rythmi and Isaac went around wishing everyone luck.

"Seren, you ok?" Kate asked, Seren snapped out of her state as she smiled at her friend.

"Yeah, fine, no problem at all," Seren answered with a fake smile. Kate frowned, she knew something was wrong, but didn't pry at her.

Keith and Kellyn walked back over a few minutes later, each in their own grumpy mood.

"Jheeze, what happened with you two?" Wendy asked as she hugged Rythmi goodbye. Seren just frowned at the two as she walked over to Keith.

"Good luck," Keith smiled as he hugged her. Kellyn silently growled as he walked over to his own pokemon before mounting it.

"You too," Seren replied. Kate just looked on in confusion before shrugging.

"Everyone ready to head out?" she asked, everyone nodded in reply.

"Alright, remember, if anyone finds anything, contact the Union and then everyone else alright?" Sven asked, the others nodded their heads as they all mounted their Staraptor and headed off to the Regions they were going to. Each with a different thought in mind.

The wind was just right. First time in days, actually. Normally it was way too harsh or extremely cold. Now Wendy could relax a little. Hey, she's the Staraptor ranger after all. She loves flying.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself." Sven noticed.

"It's great up here!" Wendy took a deep breath of cool air. "Besides, I've always wanted to go to Kanto."

"Really?" Sven asked.

Wendy nodded. "The wide open plains, clean air and so much to explore! Not to mention all those bird types you can't find in Almia! I wanna see them all!"

Sven chuckled. It lifted his spirits to see his partner in such a good mood. After that thunderstorm some time ago, all Sven wanted was to see Wendy smile again. She hadn't been flying as much with the bad weather so it made her a little depressed. And when Wendy was depressed, Sven couldn't help but feel the same way.

"Gotta admit. Kanto does sound like a good place to me." Sven tipped his hat. "It'd be nice to see some ranches."

"Missing the western scene, cowboy?" Wendy teased.

"Maybe." Sven smirked.

Pallet town was supposed to be a ranch town so Sven did feel a little eager to check it out. If possible, maybe ride a Rapidash again.

"Hey, Sven?" Wendy spoke up, hesitating a little. "This might be weird but um..."

"Yeah?" Sven waited patiently.

"You think you can teach me cowboy stuff? Like riding a Rapidash?" Wendy asked.

Sven grinned. "Sure thing! I'd love to teach ya!"

"Great!" Wendy lit up. "...assuming we have time apart from saving the world."

"Right, right." Sven remembered. "We'll head to Saffron City, visit that Professor guy and see what happens next."

Though his mind was already wondering how Wendy would be able to tame a wild Rapidash without getting burned to a crisp.

* * *

"WAAHOOO!" was the only thing that could be heard in the air as Ben rode on his Staraptor through the sky, Pichu sat on his shoulder. Summer rolled her eyes at the dark brown haired boy as she sighed.

"Can't you keep it down? You're scaring the bird pokemon," she stated with an un-amused expression. Ben turned to her with a goofy grin on his face.

"There are no bird pokemon out here anyway. We're flying over the ocean," he replied with a know-it-all tone. Summer rolled her eyes again. Come to think of it, there should be pokemon flying around, Wingull, Pelipper, Pidgey…. Where were they all?

Summer frowned; surely the darkness couldn't have reached so far in such little time. Staraptor flew up as Ben flew in front of it, causing Summer to snap out of her thoughts.

She growled, if they weren't in the air, she would kill him. Then again, she could always do it when they landed. But she couldn't help notice how Ben didn't take anything like this seriously until near the end of the event. His whole stay optimist always had him smiling, even in Oblivia when things were bad.

'_Someway, somehow Ben, you need to learn that things aren't going to well. I just wish you weren't so optimistic sometimes,' _Summer thought to herself as they continued towards Johto where they would meet Professor Elm.

* * *

Crawford sat on Breeze Hill, watching the sky. He had seen Staraptors rise up and fly off in different directions. All heading towards different regions across the world. Each group had to protect their assigned region from whatever was happening. That included Crawford himself. Vientown rangers were in charge of Almia's safety. And while he did feel hopeful, the afro ranger couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of worry stir in him.

"There you are!"

Luana appeared, sitting by her partner. Crawford grinned seeing her in her ever cheerful mood.

"Jeez, I've been looking all over for you! Bertha brought over milk pudding. Better get over to base before the others eat it all." Luana said.

"Let's go! I don't want the leader chowing down on my portion again!" Crawford sweatdropped.

Luana laughed as she helped him up. They walked down the hill and over Nabiki beach. Weather was nice for once. Good flying conditions for Staraptors. Hopefully, the weather would stay nice a little longer.

"You've been distracted today. Everything ok?" Luana asked.

"You noticed?" Crawford blinked.

Spacey klutz Luana knew? Little miss kitchen destroyer? Wow.

"Of course I noticed." Luana rolled her eyes as if the fact was obvious. "You're my ranger partner and best friend, you doof. I know a lot about you. And I can tell when you're not your usually happy self. Like how you didn't make one joke in the last few minutes."

Excellent point. Crawford sighed.

"I've been thinking about what's been happening lately. That's all." He told her. "Kate's been assigned to the centre of chaos, Sinnoh. She and my other sister, Cynthia, are throwing themselves head first into danger. I'm just hoping they don't get themselves into any trouble."

"This is Kate we're talking about; top ranger 11. And Cynthia's champion of Sinnoh, right? They're both super strong and always determined!" Luana optimistically said. "Even if they were in trouble, Keith's with them. He may be as idiotic as you sometimes but should he need to be, Keith can be strong."

Crawford sweatdropped again at that last sentence. Though Luana made another good point. Keith proved himself to be a good ranger and a decent partner for Kate. They were close friends who wouldn't let anything happen to the other. Kate had protection. That gave Crawford some relief.

"You know what? You're right." Crawford smiled.

"See? Luana always does things right!" Luana cheered.

"What about that time you blew up the freezer?" Crawford smirked.

"I SAID I WAS SORRY!" Luana frantically protested. "You're not letting that go are you?!"

Crawford snickered. "Boy was Elaine mad at you! Took her a week to fix it! And she gave you quite the _cold shoulder_."

Luana groaned at the joke as Crawford laughed even harder. The dark haired girl gave him a playful shove. Crawford stumbled a bit before rubbing her hair, making it frizzy. Together, the two kept laughing and started running back to Vientown base.

* * *

The Union was quiet. Too quiet. Rhythmi had been given the rest of the day off since it was a particularly tranquil day. But it felt like the calm before the storm, judging on the evidence seen so far. First all this bad stuff started happening. Now her best friends were sent faraway. They'd keep in touch, sure.

"But they're going to be way too busy to talk much." Rhythmi thought, sprawled across her bed. "Until this whole mess is resolved, I can't hang out with my friends. I feel so lonely..."

Knock! Knock!

Who could that be?

"Door's open!" Rhythmi called.

In came Isaac. That brought a smile to her face. She sat up as the blond genius entered.

"Issac! I thought you were busy with research." Rhythmi said.

"I finished work a little early to see you." Issac responded.

"Really? Just to see me?" Rhythmi was touched at the gesture.

"You seemed depressed. And I was concerned that my best friend was this way." Issac told her. "I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine." Rhythmi said.

"Really?"

Issac stared at her, knowing better. Was he good or what? The boy came to sit on the bed next to Rhythmi.

"Might I take a guess that you're sad is because all of our friends are gone?" Issac assumed

"How did you...?" Rhythmi was stunned.

"You've been this way since morning when everyone left. And I admit that I've felt the same." Issac replied. "I must admit that the Union just isn't the same without our crazy friends around. No Kate and her fierce determination."

"No perverted Keith to drive us up the wall." Rhythmi added.

"No Seren, taking dozens of photographs a day."

"Not even Kellyn's around to moan about his 'handsome' looks."

The two blondes chuckled. Memories of their friends came flooding back; all the smiles and good times they shared. Still, hard to believe it would be awhile before any more of that would come. Isaac sensed this.

"Rhythmi, I'm still here. And we'll get through this together." Issac quietly assured. Rythmi sighed, she trusted Isaac, she knew he was right. Even if their friends weren't around so much, that didn't mean she was alone.

Rythmi laid on her bed with a smile on her face. Isaac copied her motions as the two laid in silence for a while. Both were tired, both were worried, both were frightened, Rythmi more than Isaac.

But both had faith, and both knew that whatever was going on, things would work out fine in the end.

* * *

A scream came from the centre of Mauville City in the Hoenn Region. Kellyn had fallen off of his Staraptor as they were landing. Seren rolled her eyes; the dunce shouldn't have fallen asleep.

As Seren petted her Staraptor on a job well done and fed it some treats that Wendy had given each of them for the Staraptors after the long journey, she looked around her old home.

It had changed over the years, the Pokemart has moved to the very beginning of the city as you walked off the route, the Poke Centre was now in the middle of the city. The hotel she and Kellyn were staying in was now stationed next to her worst nightmare.

Pokemon Research Incorporated. One building Seren never wanted to see again. It was larger than before, what used to be a small facility was now over twenty stories high. The outside of it was painted colourfully with pokemon posted around it.

The posters were of extinct pokemon, or brief sketches of pokemon that had been brought back to life. The door to the building opened, Seren's breath hitched in her throat as she waited to see who had walked out.

She relaxed when she saw it was just an old man, walking away with his Growlithe. Seren sighed as she watched Kellyn bid farewell to his Staraptor.

"Let's get to the hotel already. It's this way," Seren stated as she walked over to Kellyn, who seemed to be in a better mood, but not quite back to himself.

"Sure thing," he replied as he looked over her shoulder. His eyes narrowed as he balled his fists. A boy with black hair and blue eyes was looking at Seren with a confused look.

"What is it?" Seren asked as she turned around. She saw the boy looking at her. Her body froze, he had been sent home from his journey.

The boy started walking towards Seren, but Kellyn dragged her off towards the hotel. Seren watched as the boy stopped, a smirk played on his lips as he shook his head. Seren knew she was in for it.

She quickly grabbed Kellyn's arm and began dragging him faster towards the hotel, their stuff should have already arrived.

Kellyn watched Seren drag him with a confused expression. He looked over his shoulder to see the boy had disappeared.

As Seren rounded a corner to the hotel, she and Kellyn bumped into someone rather small that looked up at her. Seren's eyes widened as she knelt down to help the boy up.

As he looked up, she noticed the scar on the side of his face, his black eye, bruises around his neck and the tears in his eyes.

"Who did this to you?" Kellyn asked as he knelt down too. But once Seren saw the child's eyes she knew who he was and who had done this to him.

She picked him up into her arms, cradling him like a mother would. The boy was confused to who she was, but cried into her shoulder nonetheless.

Kellyn then lead the two of them inside to the hotel, where he would be sure to ask a few questions.

Seren stood with the boy in her arms in the middle of the lobby, he still sobbed into her shoulder, but Seren didn't mind.

Kellyn walked over with two keys in his hand, each for the same room. He and Seren then got in the lift to the tenth floor. They walked down until they found room 1035.

Kellyn opened the door. The room was full with their luggage. But they could make out fine details. Pictures of different legendry pokemon were hung on the wall, Seren's favourite being the Celebi picture on the far right. A desk cabinet with a mirror was opposite the beds. Opposite from Seren and Kellyn, just as you walked in, was a large glass door that lead to the balcony.

Seren walked over to one of the bed as put the small boy down onto it. She took into account that the boy was around twelve years of age.

Kellyn walked over and sat next to the boy as he patted his shoulder. Seren walked into the bathroom to get the first aid kit.

Fifteen minutes, and a wad of bandages later, the boy was bandaged and had stopped crying. Seren sat next to him as he sniffed and look up at her. Seren sighed; she regretted everything she had done now, seeing the boy like this.

"Seren," the boy whispered. Kellyn was shocked and confused, how did the boy know Seren?

"What is it, Caden?" Seren asked, this confused Kellyn even more.

"Are you staying for good?" the little boy, Caden, asked Serena as he looked up at her. Seren frowned at the twelve year old, she was torn. Seeing him the way he was broke her heart, but going back there, to _that place, _would kill her, literally kill her.

"Caden I-," Seren stopped, she remembered Kellyn in the room, she didn't want him to hear anything she was going to say. "Let's go onto the balcony," she suggested as Caden nodded his head. Kellyn stood up to follow but Seren shook her head.

"Stay in here please, just start putting everything away, I can handle this," Seren smiled the fake smile she had perfected over the years when she went to school. It was a long time since she had to do it, but she remembered how.

Kellyn frowned, he didn't want to be left out of it, but nodded his head nonetheless.

Seren sighed as she closed the balcony door. She knelt down in front of Caden, who hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry; I'm only here to fight off whatever darkness has come to this Region, Rangers duty Caden. But I promise, if I get this mission over with quicker than what I hope, I will find a way out for you," Seren explained as she looked at Caden, who shook his head.

"I don't want to go back. I don't want you to leave me again!" he cried as tears fell from his eyes. Seren felt herself tearing up, but she blinked them away.

"Caden, a week, I just want you to go back for a week. If I haven't got any of this sorted by then, then you can come here to the hotel and stay with us," Seren smiled.

"But what if you have to leave the Region?" Caden asked as Seren wiped his tears away.

"Then I will break into that witch's home and I will take you with me. I'm not letting you stay there, but we need to get accustomed to everything in Hoenn before we can do anything. A week is all I'm asking you to put up with Caden. Then I promise we'll be together again. I know what it's like to be put through what you're being put through, that's why I left. But I won't let you suffer anymore. Just stay out of her way as much as possible, okay?" Seren asked as she looked at Caden, who nodded his head.

"Okay," he whispered in reply.

"Promise me one thing Caden," Seren spoke up again. "If you see….." she hesitated for a moment. She took a moment to collect herself.

"Promise me one thing Caden," Seren spoke up again. "If you see….." she hesitated for a moment, "_mother,_" the word came out like acid in Seren's mouth. "Don't let her know I'm back in the Region. She'll know soon enough, but if she knows now then she will never let you out of her sight. Alright?" Seren asked. Caden nodded his head once more as he hugged Seren tightly.

She felt tears welling in her eyes again as she tried her hardest not to let them fall.

Kellyn watched from inside, anger rang through him as he clenched his fists. He wasn't angry at the child, but angry at Seren for keeping him in the dark.

He was getting sick of it. One way or another, he was going to find out exactly who the boy was, and why Seren was being so secretive around him.

* * *

"I'm bored!"

The whine sounded just as the Staraptors left. Kate face palmed.

"We've been here not even two minutes!" She groaned.

"Yeah. And I'm bored." Keith muttered.

Kate couldn't believe her partner. They went on a long flight from Almia to Sinnoh, where the rumours on the crazy conditions were true. Nearly flew into a thunder storm! It was like the entire region went psychotic or something. Not to mention the heavy air pressure Kate felt since entering the region. A feeling that only got stronger the closer to Eterna she got.

Looking around, something wasn't right. There was a Starly on one kid's shoulder while another trainer-looking girl had an Aipom. But other than those two, there were no other pokemon around. None flew in the skies, were scattered in the bushes or anywhere. And the two pokemon who were with those people seemed a bit off.

"What Cynthia told us was true after all." Kate said in a low tone.

Keith glanced about. "Huh. I guess so. Speaking of which, where is your sister?"

"She's supposed to meet up with us here somewhere. We could look around for her." Kate suggested.

"Bound to be better than being bored." Keith sighed.

Kate smacked his head before leading the way. Keith rolled his eyes and followed. No other pokemon. The weird feeling in the air. And the weather was getting very windy right about then. Something bad seemed to be on the horizon. Kate knew she and Keith had to do something before worse things happened.

"Hey what's that?" Keith pointed.

There was a hill. The rangers took the stairs up to see a pair of gigantic bronze statues. Both statues were worn considerably from old age and weather from over the years. Though they were still standing in decent condition.

"I know this. The Eterna City statues!" Kate remembered. "I've heard that they were centrepieces in festivals for decades. And they hold stories found on these plates here."

Indeed there were metal plates with faded inscriptions. Impossible to read but Keith took a look anyways.

"This first statue on the left is Dialga, ruler of time." Kate informed. "That other one is Palkia, ruler of space."

"You certainly know your stuff." Keith said.

Kate shrugged. "You're talking to the girl who used to be Summerland's Gift. Studied up on legendary pokemon a lot."

"Hey! In the middle of the two statues, there's a crumbled portion. Seems out of place to be random junk." Keith noticed.

There was an open spot between the pokemon. A slight debris of rock with a statue part of some claw stuck right in there. Though whatever had been there had to have been ripped out of the ground or destroyed long ago. Actually, it would've had to have been gone almost right after that statue was created. And then there were holes in the space between the plates, as if something was bolted but then removed.

"I've heard that there may or may not have been another pokemon besides them but I'm not too sure." Kate mentioned.

"Wait, you don't know?" Keith blinked, confused.

"Hey I only got so far in research. And none of the other legendary pokemon said anything to me before." Kate told him. "So I have no idea what pokemon could be there."

"That would be Giratina, ruler of distortion."

The rangers spun around to see Cynthia walking up to them. Kate smiled and hugged her sister, having not seen her for awhile.

"What's that about Giratina?" Keith asked.

"Giratina is the third part of the creation trio, appearing at the same time as Dialga and Palkia. However, due to its behaviour and an untold disaster, Giratina was punished. It was banished from earth and sent to a place in another dimension, the Distortion World." Cynthia explained. "Legends and stories of this pokemon were erased from existence to prevent people from learning about it. To make sure that disaster would never happen again or be remembered. That included this statue and its plate, here."

Kate looked at the missing space on the statue. Giratina's claw was the last piece of the statue that hadn't gone. It was the only hint to what this pokemon may be like.

"Very few stories survived to present day. Those that did mention another world beyond seeing, a violent pokemon whose name was not to be spoken and ghostly shadows." Cynthia went on.

"Wait! Does that mean Giratina's behind the whole mess?" Keith questioned.

Cynthia shook her head. "I highly doubt it. Giratina's only goal is to protect the Distortion World. And there's no way that Giratina's powers are this strong. Something else is causing all the trouble."

"How do you know so much?" Kate asked, curious.

"I encountered Giratina myself once." Cynthia replied. "But that's a story for another time. We better handle your things and get situated. Meanwhile, I'll catch you up to speed with what's going on."

* * *

**Rythmi: *looks up from book* Is that it? Are we done?**

**Yes, we're done now. Sorry the chapter took so long to update, but now Sky's starting to get better we should have the next chapter up soon.**

**Sky: What's that about another chapter?**

**It should be up soon.**

**Sky: Oh yeah, hopefully, so just keep an eye out. Now where did I put my plans *walks off looking for plans***

**Seren: KELLYN! I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T DROP THAT THING NOW!**

**Kellyn: *running away with picture in his hands***

**Rythmi, can you just wrap it up please.**

**Rythmi: With please. HTF and Sky don't own Pokemon; if they did they'd be rich-**

**Sky: AND WE WOULDN'T HAVE CHANGED ASH SO MUCH!**

**Rythmi: And that. But you know what to do now, click the little REVIEW button below and tell us what you think.**

**Cast: *gets together in a big group* We hope to see you again!**

**Seren: NOW GIMME THAT PHOTO!**

**Kellyn: NO!**


	8. What The Fudge Monkeys!

**Sky: Welcome back to our show! Featuring the awesome cast of Shadows of Almia!**

**Keith: Well. It happened. Sky finally lost it.**

**Kate: I'll get the tranquilizer darts. Someone call the mental hospital.**

**Rythmi and Isaac: Taken care of!**

**Sky: *sweat drop* You guys have no faith in me. And where the hell is my co-author?**

***HTF and Seren snack on pizza***

**Sky: Hey no fair! I want some!**

**Seren: MINE! *runs***

**Sky: GIMME! *chases***

**HTF: This can't end well. Hey readers! You go ahead and uh...what is that line Sky usually says in her fanfics?**

**Kate: Something, something, dark side?**

**Keith: No idea. I tune these things out. *grabs a pizza slice while the girls aren't looking***

* * *

Saffron City was supposed to be one of the biggest, most populated areas in the entire world. Even before it became a thriving, golden metropolis. There was so much to see and do. Silph Co was offering tours, the Magnet Train looked cool to ride on, the fan club looked interesting, wow!

"Enjoying view, are we?" Sven chuckled.

"I've been in Almia so long, I've forgotten what a big city looks like." Wendy said.

True there was Pueltown. It was kind of like a city. But Almia's city was spaced out and ran differently than a regular city would. As great as Pueltown was, Wendy liked to see someplace new.

"I gotta admit. This place looks cool." Sven looked around. "And the view of Kanto from high up isn't bad either. Can't wait to get out into the country towns."

"Remind me again what we're doing here?" Wendy asked. "I got thrown off by how awesome Kanto is."

"We'll be meeting Professor Oak, top pokemon researcher in the world. Then we'll gather some information about what's going on and see what we can do to help." Sven replied.

"Sounds good." Wendy responded. "So where is he?"

...

"You don't know where he is, do you?" Wendy sweatdropped.

"Hey I can't remember everything off the top of my head!" Sven frantically defended himself.

"Brilliant." Wendy face palmed. "Now what?"

Sven took out his cell phone. "I'll call one of our operators. She can relay details or contact Professor Oak for us."

"In the meantime, should we patrol?" Wendy assumed.

"By patrol do you mean sightseeing?" Sven raised an eyebrow.

"...maybe."

The cowboy couldn't help but smile. He rubbed Wendy's hair, messing it up playfully. The green haired girl yelped before firing away some curses. It only made Sven laugh more.

"Alright! We'll do both! Sightseeing and keeping an eye out for trouble. At least till we get information." Sven told her as he dialled the phone. "Hey Linda. ACK! Sorry Rhythmi! My bad! No need to yell! Listen, could you help us out here..."

* * *

"So we're finally here at… Where are we again?" Ben asked as he looked around the Johto Region. Buildings were to the left, right and centre of him.

"Baka," Summer muttered. "It's the Johto Region, remember?" she asked, Ben just gave her a blank look.

"Well, whatever it is, it's a massive difference from the Oblivia Region," he replied as he looked at the large Radio Tower, along with the Pokemon Gym, Centre and Mart.

"Yeah, it is," Summer replied as she headed off towards the hotel they were staying in.

Once they checked in, got to their room, let their pokemon rest and freshened up, they were back on the streets of Goldenrod City.

"Right, so we're in GoldenRod and this Elm person is in New Bark Town, which isn't far from here," Summer stated as she looked at a small trainer map nearby.

"So, what? We can some Staraptor and fly there?" Ben asked as he looked over Summer's shoulder.

"I don't think so. Haven't you noticed? There are no Staraptor in sight, as a matter of fact I don't even think I've seen the standard wild city loving pokemon run by yet," she answered as she turned around, Ben's face smack in front of her. Summer felt a blush creeping up onto her cheeks.

"Aww, did I make the brave and almighty Summer blush?" Ben asked with a smirk.

"Shut up, I hate you," Summer answered with a growl and a glare.

"Yeah, you hate me about as much as you hate chocolate," Ben replied as he rolled his eyes and snorted. Summer only glared, she knew she loved chocolate and she knew what Ben was implying.

She turned on her heel to walk to the Pokemon Centre to her left. As she walked, Ben rushed to catch her up.

The two entered the centre to find that trainers were sat with depressed expressions. The atmosphere seemed tense, almost like there was no happiness in the centre.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy?" Summer asked as she and Ben walked to the counter. The pink haired woman slowly lifted her head off of the counter to show her depressed eyes were lifeless.

"What happened here?" Ben asked as he looked around the centre, honestly, it was creeping him out.

"All the pokemon from Goldenrod have gone missing, trainer's pokemon too. We're all so worried and we don't know where they've gone to. It's starting to happen in other towns as well, but not as badly at the moment," Nurse Joy answered, Ben and Summer nodded as they thanked her.

"We need a town map if we're gonna get to New Bark Town," Ben noted as he and Summer exited the depressed Poke Centre.

"I'll give Rythmi a call," Summer replied as she pulled her styler out.

What was going on in the Regions?

* * *

Keith walked alongside Kate as they patrolled throughout the cities. Lots of requests to find missing pokemon or put a stop to this chaos. But it was something neither ranger could do at the moment. This was way beyond their control. And until more information came alone, they were stuck.

Cynthia gave both rangers details about what happened and gave a general plan. Keep an eye out for more pokemon like the ones Kate and Cynthia had seen before. Try to capture them or defeat them while also getting evidence for the Union. Until another pokemon showed up or something happened, Kate and Keith were to patrol the area. Cynthia would be calling some of the other regional champions to understand how the situation played out elsewhere.

Thus, the two top rangers were out and about. The bike route had been closed due to rock slides so the two avoided that area. Eterna City was inspected thoroughly. The route to Cornet would be blocked off soon but Cynthia advised to stay away for the moment. So the last place to go to was Eterna Forest.

Eterna Forest was normally a peaceful, happy place to travel through with only the haunted mansion being anything to fear. But ever since this mess started, it grew darker. Barely any light if at all came into this place. Barely any pokemon were in this place. Keith wasn't liking this one bit. Darkness had always made him feel a little on edge. And after what happened with Darkrai, it terrified him. He almost expected for a dark void to open and drag him back down into a world of pain...to have his mind succumb to insanity.

"Keith? You ok?"

The redhead looked over at his partner. Kate seemed to be very concerned for him. Having her here with him just made things a tiny bit better. Like a candle in a dark room, she was the guiding light in his life.

"Uh yeah. F-fine." Keith lied.

Kate saw right through him. "This place isn't making me comfortable either. Since this investigation is going nowhere and there's practically nothing in these woods, how about we go back to Eterna? Maybe grab some pizza and watch a movie?"

"Sounds good to me." Keith smiled slightly.

They turned around to make their way out of the place. Keith couldn't help but grasp Kate's hand for support. She didn't seem to mind at all, instead giving a gentle hand squeeze. It was comforting. Keith may be a pervert to Kate at times and they have their squabbles. But Kate was his best friend and the girl he loved.

"Um...Kate?" Keith cleared his throat.

"Yeah?" Kate responded.

"I uh..." Keith gulped, getting embarrassed. "I've been kinda meaning...t-to tell you something. I think I..."

WHOOOSH!

A huge gust of wind flew through the forest, nearly sweeping the rangers off their feet. Keith's senses immediately picked up on something. Something sinister seemed to be lurking around the area. His nerves began to tense up as whatever it was drew close.

"Dunno what that was all about." Kate brushed off the leaves that stuck to her clothes.

Keith's eyes darted everything, trying to find where (or what) this thing was. The mysterious thing was soon found. A black, circular shadow on the ground was approaching an innocent Buneary. Keith tapped Kate's shoulder and pointed in the direction. Kate looked, freezing at she saw.

When the shadow was close enough, the shadow seemed to shift. From it came a clawed hand made of darkness. Purple veins dripped shadows onto the grass. The Buneary seemed to detect something off and turned to see the giant hand above it. It screeched, trying to jump off. But the hand was way too quick. Kate, despite being horrified by the scene, managed to take out her cell phone and record the hand grabbing the pokemon and dragging it down into the shadowy hole. Keith was too stunned to move. He wanted to help that poor pokemon though the dark hand made him flashback to those painful memories.

The Buneary was gone. Sucked into the hole by that gruesome hand and disappeared from the forest.

"W-well..." Kate's voice shook a bit. "I guess that explains where all the pokemon went."

Keith managed to nod. His skin was pale while the hand grew cold and clammy. Kate took notice of this.

"Come on. We better go find my sister and show her this." Kate said.

"Y-yeah. R-right." Keith mumbled.

It felt stupid that Kate was the somewhat brave one while Keith chickened out. As much as Keith wanted to help, he was frozen with fear. Darkness was his mortal enemy; worst nightmare.

But unfortunately, he knew he'd be facing a lot more of it in the near future.

* * *

Seren sighed as she followed Kellyn through route just north of Mauville. So far, no pokemon were in sight, it was worrying to Seren.

As they walked through the long grass towards the trees, Kellyn groaned slightly. He lifted his foot up to see dust falling off of it.

"What the?" he asked as he looked at the dust. Seren came up next to him as she placed her hand in it.

"It's just dust," she answered his question as she pick a bit of it up.

"Like dust what you get in the house?" Kellyn asked, Seren could tell he was still ticked, though why, she had no idea.

"No, this is different. It's dust, but not the dust you get from home. It almost looks like it's in the form of glitter, which would explain why it doesn't look like a large bump on the floor," Seren answered as she stood back up.

"Oh," Kellyn replied.

"I'll give Keith a call, see if he or Kate's ran into anything like-,"

"I don't see why you should call him, just report it to the Union and we'll carry on," Kellyn interrupted. Seren looked at him before frowning.

"Kellyn, if we're the only ones that have found something like this then we'll contact the Union and-,"

"Whatever, just go call little lover boy," Kellyn hissed as he started to walk away. Seren stood shocked as she put her arm back to her side before walking to catch him up.

When she finally did catch him up, she caught his arm. Kellyn turned to look at her with a glare. Seren glared back ten times harder.

"What the hell is wrong with you lately? Why are you so, so, _jealous _of Keith because I speak to him?" she asked as she tightened her grip on Kellyn's arm. Kellyn glared harder at Seren.

"Nothing's wrong with me. It's you, all of this. You won't tell me anything anymore. You won't tell me who that kid was, why you're so uncomfortable being here, or anything. It's like I don't know you anymore. And yet…. Yet Keith knows everything. I'm supposed to be your partner Seren, not him. It's like I don't know you anymore," he answered as he pulled his arm away from Seren, who froze on the spot.

She looked at the ground, her hair cascaded over her eyes, causing her face to become shadowed and dark. She balled her fists as she bit back tears appearing in her eyes.

"I would tell you, if you just listened. But every time I try to talk to you know, the only thing you care about is that one little scar on your face. It won't do any harm, it's barely noticeable, but that's all you care about. Yes Keith knows everything," Seren looked up, her eyes hard. "But that's only because he knows what I'm going through, you wouldn't understand. And you don't take the time out to listen. You're fixated on one small part of your face that has no difference to you at all. I just wish you could see that sometimes Kellyn, looks don't matter and they never will. I just wish you could see that," she added as she felt a tear slip out of her eyes.

Suddenly the wind began to pick up as the tree rustled. Seren's hair was blown in front of her face as Kellyn tried to take a step forward to her, but found he couldn't. It felt like every single nerve in his body was frozen solid. Though those same nerves seemed to detect that the rangers weren't alone. Something was out there with them; something ominous.

WHOOOOOSSSHHHH!

A blast of wind shook the trees and rattled Seren, knocking her to the ground. Kellyn tried to help her but found he was helpless himself. His eyes then turned to something slinking on the ground, heading towards him; a dark, circular shadow. At first, it seemed to head towards Seren. But it soon rushed past her and positioned itself just before Kellyn's feet.

From this hole, something started to rise. Towering over Kellyn in a matter of seconds was a hand made of darkness and dripping shadows. Never before had the ranger felt so terrified. Seren seemed to be just as scared as him.

The hand hovered over Kellyn for a moment. Stretching its claws, the hand struck down and grabbed Kellyn, wrapping him tightly in its grip. Seren screamed, frightened and without any idea what to do. The hand sent dozens of little purple lightning bolts into Kellyn, electrocuting him. Kellyn shut his eyes and cried out in agony as the jolts spread throughout his body. It was like he was being burned from the inside out. His insides were in searing pain while the outside skin and had grown numb.

But it seemed to only be the beginning of the torture.

Kellyn's clothes disappeared as his body started to scrunch together, getting smaller. As his size changed, so did the rest of him. Kellyn's skin was turning light blue with a tan triangle surrounding the neck, which was squished against the head and shoulders. Feet were a little flat; almost like flippers. Hands became tiny with fingers three times smaller than they were before.

As for the face, Kellyn's mouth and nose seemed to stretch out. Nose was replaced by two little slits at the very end. Mouth opened as teeth became sharp. A tail popped right out of Kellyn's behind. Following it were red triangle scales that went from the back of the head to the tails tip.

No longer was Kellyn human. He was a Totodile.

The dark hand stopped feeding electricity to him. It seemed like it wanted to do something else but paused. Instead, the hand threw Kellyn to the ground and sunk back into a circular shadow. The hand disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Kellyn moaned in pain, on the edge of consciousness. Seren cautiously crawled over to what was once her human ranger partner.

"Oh...my...Arceus..." The girl whispered, left in shock.

* * *

**Cast: … HOLY ARCEUS! KELLYN!**

**WAIT! YOU GUYS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO KNOW!**

**Sky: *uses mind washing device***

**Cast: *looks around cluelessly***

**That works, thanks Sky.**

**Sky: No problem.**

**Well we hope you all enjoyed that chapter.**

**Sky: Now things get interesting.**

**That they do, what will happen next? Well, you'll have to keep reading to find out.**

**Cast: We hope to see you soon.**

**Sky: No Rythmi wrapping it up?**

**Nah, give her a break.**

***something blows up***

**Sky: Too bad we can't get one.**

**MY KITCHEN! LUANA!**


End file.
